The Greatest Hits
by HeroismInACan
Summary: Welcome to The Greatest Hits, a collection of stories ranging from Peridot and Lapis to Mr. and Mrs. Universe. Each story is a part of the same world/timeline. Human AU. Main pairing: Lapidot. Discontinued.
1. Bad Habits

**Author's Notes: Please Read!**

Okay! So I decided to make things easier and just take the two chapters I had written for _The Greatest Hits_ and add them to _Bad Habits_ , which I have converted over to be the new story collection. I realized how it might be confusing having the original story separate from the others, especially when "Bad Habits" plays an important part in everything. So, this is now the new _The Greatest Hits_ , and it is going to be a collection of stories all from the same world/timeline, which begins with this chapter "Bad Habits." Not all of these are going to follow an order. In fact, all of them can stand alone, meaning that you can read one without reading another and understand just fine. However, each story will reveal more information for each character, depending on if that particular character makes an appearance, of course, so reading them all will be useful just to put some perspective on things.

Updates will be whenever I feel like/whenever I have the inspiration to write.

I also plan to make art for this because I want to design everyone, so if you're interested in that just visit my DeviantArt page. There's a url on my profile.  
Cover image I own. You can see the full image over on my dA.

Please review and let me know your thoughts! Also, let me know whom you would like to see next!  
Do you want to see more about Jasper? Maybe how Jasper and Peridot met? Or how Peridot dealt with losing her leg? What about Rose and Greg? Do you want to know their story? Let me know! It would help me out tremendously.

Also, for the two who mentioned on the other story how they would like to see Peridot and Lapis' first kiss and how Jasper and Peridot met/became friends, I'll start working on those next! Thank you for the suggestions!

Explanations for each story will always be at the bottom, such as where said story fits into the timeline, so without further ado please enjoy!

* * *

 **Bad Habits**

* * *

"Why are you forcing me to partake in your bad habits?"

The large woman in the driver's seat huffed, casting a sideways glance at the passenger who had her arms crossed, "Because, Peridot, you're a homebody and it's not healthy. You need to get out more. Ever since your acci—"

"So where is this party taking place?" The smaller woman cut her friend off sharply, a scowl forming on her face as she adjusted the frames of her rectangular glasses.

Jasper sighed loudly but replied, "The beach."

Peridot suddenly fell quiet, her eyes staring straight ahead for all of two seconds before her head snapped to the side. She stared at her friend intently, who remained staring at the road for approximately five seconds before she finally felt a set of eyes on her.

Jasper glanced toward the passenger seat just as the smaller of the two screeched, "The beach?" The volume caused Jasper to flinch, but thankfully, the motion had no effect on her already terrible driving.

"What's wrong with the beach? I thought you liked the beach."

"Not when I'm wearing shorts, you clod," Peridot slapped the bigger woman on the arm. She knew Jasper meant well despite the lack of brains her friend showed.

It took the brute of a woman half a minute until it clicked just why shorts were such a problem. "Shit. Sorry, Peri," Jasper rubbed the back of her neck and chewed on her lower lip. She remained quiet for a short time, only the music from the radio playing at a low volume filling the space, until the bigger woman suddenly exclaimed, "I know what to do." Jasper grinned and continued driving onward, which confused the passenger of the vehicle. Wouldn't the best solution be to turn around and go home? Peridot thought that made the most sense, but Jasper wasn't one to use typical logic, or any logic for that matter. Her friend typically acted first and thought about the consequences later.

"Do enlighten me with your plan," Peridot said dryly, crossing her arms over her chest again.

"I have a friend who lives, like, right on the beach. We usually hang at her place and then work our way onto the sand. It's a pretty rad set up, really." Jasper was grinning, which Peridot found rather unsettling at the moment. The large woman continued, "She's the same size as you, I think, so you can just borrow a pair of her pants. Thank the stars you wore your boots today, huh?"

Peridot didn't seem amused despite her friend's enthusiasm. "You will be the death of me, Jasper."

The remainder of the ride was spent in silence, and roughly ten minutes later they were pulling up to a decent sized beach house with peeling white paint and a wooden deck. The screen door was closed but the front door was open, shedding a warm light onto the front porch. Two cars were parked by the house already, and Peridot suspected that one of them belonged to the woman she would be borrowing pants from.

Wait a minute. Shit.

"Jasper?" Peridot spoke quietly as soon as her friend cut the engine.

The big woman turned to look at her, "Yeah?" Even in the dimmed lighting Jasper could see the sudden nervousness that had caused the smaller woman to start closing in on herself.

Although Peridot was wearing shorts, which showed off her prosthetic limb, the only reason she wore such a garment was because they weren't supposed to go anywhere that day, and she was only comfortable revealing her limb around Jasper. When her friend had decided that she wanted dinner, and not just a frozen pizza, they had ended up in Jasper's car ten minutes later with one goal in mind: food. They were just going to head into town to pick up something to eat, but they ended up needing to get gas first because they were practically on empty. Afterwards they were supposed to go home, but that whole plan changed when Jasper got a call about the party, and suddenly they were leaving the gas station with a full tank of gasoline and no dinner.

Peridot brought a hand up to her left ear, toying with one of her piercings, and frowned. She had had her prosthetic for half a year now and was doing well with it, but she was still extremely self-conscious of it and the stares and explanations that came with it whenever it was seen in public. The memories of her accident were still fresh in her mind, too, but she had a better time closing those out that she did the looks she received.

"Can you go in and get the pants? I'll change out here."

"What? No way. Come inside. I'm not gonna let you change your bottoms in the car, dude. That's a pain," Jasper furrowed her brows, "And weird, especially when there's a perfectly good house right there."

"I'm not going inside. Everyone will see it, and I'm pretty darn certain that there are approximately two people in that house judging by the amount of cars here. That means two more people than I am comfortable with seeing it." Peridot shook her head, eyes casting a quick glance toward the porch. She saw someone standing there at the top of the steps and wave, but Peridot quickly looked at Jasper in a panic.

The large woman put a hand on top of Peridot's own, the one that rested on her lap, causing the smaller of the two to look at her with wide, shining eyes. "It's okay. At least your condition isn't skin discoloration on your face and arms. I didn't let that stop me from having a good time, and it shouldn't stop you, either. We all care for you, Peri, whether you believe that or not. Try to be more open, okay? People stare because they're curious, not because they're judging you. Besides, if anyone says anything rude I'll beat them up."

A quiet knock on the window made Peridot jump and Jasper look up, grinning as she leaned over the blonde and manually rolled the window down. "What's up, Lapis? Are we early?"

The woman smiled crookedly, "You're always on time, Jasper." She looked down at the passenger, who seemed extremely small with Jasper still leaning over her. "Who's your friend?"

Jasper perked up, "This is Peridot, my roommate who I told you about. She's not so keen on parties, so it's pulling teeth to get her to go out. Oh, can she borrow a pair of your pants?" Jasper hooked a thumb toward the blonde, who made a startled squeaking sound and blushed furiously. Part of the squeak came from the thumb that was suddenly thrown in her face.

Lapis looked at Peridot with a funny look, but nodded her head regardless. "Sure, come on inside and I'll grab you a pair. Pearl and Amethyst are already here. Everyone else is on their way." The slender woman stepped back from the passenger side and headed back inside, bare feet making a soft thud with each step. The screen door squeaked when it opened, and Lapis hesitated before going in to look at the two still in the car. She motioned for them to follow with a smile.

Jasper was quick to exit the car, and walked around to the passenger side where she proceeded to open the door for Peridot.

The smaller woman swallowed the lump in her throat and slowly slid out of the car seat and onto her feet. Jasper shut the door and walked up the porch steps, followed slowly by a nervous Peridot. At least it was only Pearl and Amethyst. Those two weren't as bad as some of Jasper's other friends, but it was hard to shake her nerves off. This was the first time Peridot had been out since before her accident.

Jasper tried to hold the door open for the smaller of the two, but Peri waved her hands and shook her head.

"You go first."

With a shrug Jasper did, leading the way in and into the main room of the house. Peridot hesitated once more, and just before she crossed the threshold, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

She didn't need to be afraid.

She shouldn't care what people had to say or what they thought.

"I can do this," She muttered to herself, opening her eyes and crossing the threshold swiftly. The door slammed shut behind her as she passed the kitchen along the way, a big room immediately to the right as you entered the house. Lapis was waiting in the living room, which was where the hallway opened into, and she motioned for Peridot to follow her.

Jasper joined the other two women, Pearl and Amethyst, in the kitchen where they appeared to be arguing rather loudly.

Peridot quickly darted out of sight of the kitchen and followed the brunette through the living room and into what she presumed to be the other woman's bedroom.

Lapis turned to look at Peridot as she entered the room. "So why do you need to change your bottoms? Did you pee yourself from Jasper's reckless driving?" The brunette smirked and opened a drawer of her dresser, rummaging around briefly, "Pants or sweats?"

Peridot blushed furiously but didn't say anything in regards to the pee comment. "Sweats, please."

With a nod, Lapis removed a dark gray pair of sweatpants from the drawer and handed them toward the other woman. Peridot saw the brunette's eyes wander down to her leg, which was in full sight in the well-lit bedroom. She took the garment with quiet thanks and was directed toward the connected bathroom across the room.

With a silent nod, the smaller woman entered the lavatory, where she closed the door behind her and leaned against the sink counter. She untied her boots, slipped them off, and then proceeded to undo her shorts. Once those were off, she yanked the sweats on and retied her boots, making sure the pants were tucked in. She exited the bathroom with her shorts folded in one hand.

Lapis had joined the other woman in the kitchen, and so Peridot maneuvered her way toward the room and entered quietly. The argument from before had apparently ended.

Pearl, the beanpole of a woman, had noticed her and smiled politely, "Ah, Peridot. It's good to see you."

"Likewise" Peridot nodded, putting on a partially forced smile as she slid onto one of the bar stools at the island counter. Pearl was a bossy woman who could at times be rather nosy, but she was nice nonetheless. When Peridot first met her it had been somewhat rocky, but their relationship became something along the lines of tolerating and respecting one another without saying too much.

She placed her shorts on her lap and kept the smile on her face. Social interactions were awkward for Peridot. Even before her accident she didn't enjoy loud noises and too many bodies in such close proximity. It caused an anxiety that she would rather avoid, but she went out regardless for the sake of her friend, Jasper. However, after her accident she closed in on herself and refused to do anything. Depression had taken hold of her, and it was still lingering in the back of her mind even then. At least before she would willingly partake in her best friend's nonsense, but now she honestly would much rather have remained at home. For some reason Jasper was able to get her to come out tonight though, but Peridot blamed that on the fact that they were already out when the phone rang and Jasper didn't exactly give her a choice on tagging along or not.

"Yeah, I'm surprised you're even here, Peri. It's been, what, six months or something like that since you last hung out with us? And all those times when we came over but you hid in your room don't count," Amethyst, who was the shortest person in their friend group, added in, leaning an elbow on the island counter and resting her cheek on the palm of her hand with a smirk. "Glad to see you though. Are you guys ready to live it up tonight?"

Amethyst was a different story than Pearl. She and Peridot hit it off rather well when they first met, although the latter had a hard time understanding the plump woman's sense of humor at times.

"As soon as everyone arrives, of course. Who all will be joining us?" Pearl looked toward Lapis and Jasper with one neat eyebrow raised.

"Garnet, of course, and Malachite and Sugilite. I know those two are bringing some friends, but I'm not sure who," Lapis shrugged.

Jasper grinned devilishly, "It's gonna be loud and awesome."

"And headache inducing. I hope you have some aspirin, Lazuli," Peridot grumbled, causing Jasper to punch her in the arm with a loud laugh.

"Lighten up, Runt." She gave her friend a reassuring smile, and then turned toward Amethyst. "I'm tired of waiting. Let's roll out and cause some sandy trouble already. I want a big bonfire." The large woman turned and exited the kitchen, followed closely by an excited Amethyst and an unimpressed Pearl who mentioned something about keeping watch so they wouldn't destroy something.

That left Lapis and Peridot alone, the latter still sitting in a bar stool at the island, rubbing her arm where she was playfully punched, and the other standing near the sink.

"Lazuli?" The brunette raised an eyebrow, turning her azure gaze on the shorter woman. She had a smile on her face.

"Aren't you named after the stone?" Peridot shot back, words harsher than she had anticipated.

Lapis chuckled softly, "Yeah, just no one calls me Lazuli. It's Lapis."

Peridot huffed and rested an elbow on the counter, placing her chin on her palm and staring toward the doorway with a pout.

"Jasper talks about you a lot, so I'm glad I finally got to meet you," Lapis pushed off the counter opposite of the island and took the bar stool where Amethyst had been previously sitting, which was two seats away from Peridot.

The blonde glanced briefly toward the brunette, just now noticing the electric blue tips and various streaks that ran throughout the thick locks. Her hair framed her face nicely, and with her skin tone, a natural tan, she was the spitting image of gorgeous. Obviously this woman spent a lot of time outside.

Peridot, on the other hand, spent most of her time indoors, and her complexion reflected that with her pale peach tone. Of course, the pale color was broken here and there with various tattoos, but that was a different matter. Her hair was always a mess, the blonde locks doing whatever they wanted whenever they wanted even if the owner attempted to tame them with gel or other hair products.

"Does she say bad things? She's always saying bad things," Peridot looked back toward the door, her mood going sour. Perhaps she should have followed Jasper outside. She didn't like being stuck alone with a stranger. Unconsciously she raised a hand to her left ear, beginning to toy with one of her many piercings that littered both ears.

"She only has nice things to say about you."

"It's out of pity. She feels bad for me when she shouldn't."

Lapis was quiet for a long period, which made Peridot turn her head to look at her with narrowed eyes. She didn't know why she was being so defensive and negative, but it was too late to take back her words.

The brunette was smiling though, "It just means she cares about you. Do you want to go join them? I'm sure Pearl could use the help to keep those two in line."

Peridot nodded slowly and slipped off her stool, placing her shorts on top of the counter and waiting for the taller woman to join her.

"Oh, wait. Let's make a sign," Lapis grabbed a black pen from nearby and a piece of baby blue paper that said 'Shopping List' in curved letters across the top. She scribbled something on the paper, ignoring the preprinted lines in favor of writing in large, noticeable letters. "Can you grab the tape over there?" She looked up to point at a small thing of clear tape near the kitchen entrance.

Peridot did as she was asked and waited for Lapis to finish up before stepping out into the hallway. She followed the other woman out the front door, and when Lapis held out her hand for a piece of tape the blonde quickly snapped a piece off for her. Once the note, which read 'Party out back!' with an arrow pointing to the left, was secured onto the outside of the screen, Lapis took her back inside and locked the front door behind them.

"If you need to use the bathroom again just use the one in my room, or you can use the one down that hallway," Lapis pointed to her right down a hall that diverged from the living room. "All snacks and drinks are on the back porch though, so you shouldn't need to use the kitchen for anything." The taller woman smiled at her smaller companion, who simply nodded and followed her out the back door. A set of navy blue, plastic furniture took up space on the back porch. The table was covered with chip bags and various candies, whereas three coolers sat on the ground around said table containing what Peridot presumed to be the beverages. Four plastic chairs were pushed to the side to leave room around the table, and the wooden deck itself was lined with built in benches that held a neat pile of towels near the steps, which were located across from the door. The sound of crashing waves off in the distance, but strikingly closer than she had expected, greeted her ears. Obnoxious laughter joined the chorus that was the ocean, and Pearl yelling at the other two woman to be careful joined the symphony of noise. Jasper and Amethyst were probably sword fighting with sticks or something equally as childish.

Lapis pointed at one of the coolers, "That one has beer, that one has soda, and that one has water. Help yourself to whatever and however many." She hopped down the steps, bare feet connecting with warm sand, and waited for Peridot to follow. "Oh, and if you just need some peace and quiet you're more than welcome to hide in the house. I know how loud these things can get, especially with Mal and Sugilite in attendance."

"Thanks," Peridot nodded, walking about an arm's length away beside the brunette. "I've never attended a party with both of them before. Jasper rarely took me to overly rambunctious events. She knows I get anxiety from crowds."

"Well, if you need it, my bedroom is available. No one is allowed in there, all rooms except the living room and kitchen are off limits, but I'll make an exception for you," Lapis smiled, and then added, "I'm not one for overly crowded parties either. The only reason I always offer to host parties is because of the beach. It's great for gatherings like this, and the ocean at night is amazing. Also, you can get away but still be close to the fun by just walking down the shore a little ways." She pointed a slender finger down the shoreline where it became noticeably darker.

Peridot followed her finger with her eyes, shoving her hands in the pockets of her borrowed sweatpants as she stared at the darkness further along the beach. "I've never been to the beach at night. In fact, I rarely come to the beach."

"How come?"

"It gets too hot during the day and I can't wear shorts to the beach, and at night I just don't like to go anywhere." Peridot stopped walking when Lapis came to a halt to sit down, with her legs crossed, on a relatively flat rock that protruded from the sandy surface a fair distance away from the others. Peridot joined her on the large rock, sitting with her legs stretched out in front of her.

"Why can't you wear shorts? Is it because of your leg?" The brunette gestured toward the blonde's lower half.

Peridot nodded, "Unfortunately." She started to laugh, "I don't want to get sand stuck in the damn thing. I made that mistake once. Never again. Nope." She shook her head.

"If you don't mind me asking, how long have you had your leg?"

Peridot thought for a moment, "Five months, I think. Give or take some time."

"How does it work? I've never met anyone with a prosthetic before."

Although Peridot was usually nervous about showing off her limb, which often caused inner turmoil because she knew that her fears were silly, she decided that with Lapis it was different. She seemed genuinely interested in the leg itself, and she wasn't being pushy about the story behind it. In fact, she hadn't asked at all about the story much to Peridot's surprise. That was usually the first question that people asked her despite how rude it was.

Peridot was then reminded of what Jasper had told her in the car, about how the larger woman didn't let her skin condition stop her from having fun. She supposed that she shouldn't let her limb stop her from having fun either. Or, in this case, stop her from indulging a curious set of eyes with the incredible technology that was her prosthetic limb.

With new resolve, she leaned down and untucked the pant leg, pulling it up until it was around the knee of the prosthetic. She shifted so her companion could get a better view. "My aunt owns a company that produces these sort of things. Her's are super high-tech and use the nerves in the residual limb to attach to the prosthetic one so it can be moved easier. It's actually a new model that she's trying on me to see how it functions. So far so good. Sometimes it tweaks out and causes some minor pain, but it goes away most of the time."

Lapis listened intently and leaned forward to get a closer look at the fake limb. "Fancy," She looked up at Peridot with a smile, "I suppose you got lucky having an aunt who owns a company like that, huh?"

Peridot shrugged and pulled her pant leg back down, tucking the clothing back into her boot. "So how did you meet Jasper? And how come I haven't met you until now?" She adjusted her position and faced the other woman better, crossing her good limb in front of her and letting her prosthetic one stretch out off the rock with her boot resting on the sand.

"I work at the surf shop down the road a little. One day when Jasper was down here for whatever reason with Malachite, Pearl, and Garnet she came in on a mission for snacks. We just kind of talked while I was scanning her items and she invited me to join them on the beach. I got off in thirty minutes so I told her okay, and sure enough when my shift ended I found them hanging out in the parking lot waiting for me." Lapis smiled fondly at the memory. "Once Jasper learned that I lived down the road practically right on the beach she told me that my house was now dubbed party central. I was okay with that, so long as everyone remained on the beach and didn't trash my house, of course."

"Brash as usual, I see," Peridot snorted, and then quickly blushed a deep red from the sound that had come from her. She had a habit or snorting when she laughed, much to her distaste and humiliation.

Lapis laughed too, which only caused the blonde's blush to worsen. The brunette changed the subject, "Where do you work, Peridot?"

"The tattoo shop in town."

Lapis gasped, "No way! That's so cool."

"Well," Peridot rubbed the back of her neck, grinning sheepishly, "I'm still an intern there. I've only been working there a few months, actually. My accident made me quit for awhile, but the owner was cool and said to give her a call when I was all healed and able to try again."

"That was nice of her."

"Yeah, she's a sweet lady." A pause, and then, "Do you have any tattoos, Lazuli?"

The brunette nodded her head, "Just one."

"May I see it?" Peridot raised an eyebrow.

"Sure," Lapis adjusted herself and lifted her shirt off, causing Peridot to panic and shield her eyes. The taller of the two laughed from her companion's reaction, but turned her back to Peridot to show off the tattoo. Two swirling wings adorned her upper back, but they gave off the illusion that they were crafted from water and not the usual feathers. No color was added to the piece, and instead it remained in simple black inks.

"Wow," Peridot reached out a hand and lightly touched the inked skin, but the moment she realized what she was doing she retracted her hand and blushed, "Sorry."

Lapis but her shirt back on, facing the blonde yet again, "For what?"

"Touching you."

The brunette shrugged, but whatever it was that she was about to say was cut off by the sudden booming voice that called out over the roar of the ocean, followed by several exclamations of greetings.

Lapis sighed, "That would be Malachite, Sugilite, Garnet, and their tagalongs. Be prepared for loud from most of them."

"Aren't your neighbors going to call the police or something if they're too loud?" Peridot pointed out, a grimace on her face as she looked over toward the newcomers. Aside from the familiar face of Sugilite, Amethyst's older sister, Malachite, the crazy towheaded distant cousin of Jasper, and Garnet, the rest of the party was unfamiliar to her. Three others toted along after them, one a freakishly tall woman with hair the same color as Mal and a large nose like Pearl, followed by a blonde with dark skin, and another tall woman with wild, obviously dyed, blue hair.

Lapis laughed, putting a hand on her chest as she shook her head, "What neighbors? I'm the only one this far down the shoreline."

"Oh," Peridot said lamely, clearing her throat. "Who are those others that came with them?"

"Oh, right. The tall woman with the big nose and ponytail is Opal. She's super cool. The dark skinned one is Onyx, she can be kind of obnoxious, and the other one is Alex, who can be so quiet sometimes that I often forget she's even there," Lapis pointed to each one as she named them, and Peridot nodded in understanding while taking mental notes. This information would be useful later.

"I'm going to go say hi," Lapis stood up, offering out a hand to Peridot. "I'll introduce you."

The blonde hesitated but took the offered hand anyway. Lapis helped her up, even though she voiced rather loudly that she didn't need any help getting up, and the two wandered toward the rest of the party.

"There you are, Lapis," Malachite shouted with too much enthusiasm. When she spotted Peridot beside the taller of the two, she gasped loudly. "Holy shit, Peri? Is that you?" She shielded her eyes and squinted as if she were glaring into the sun. She dropped her charade and laughed loudly, closing the distance between them and wrapping the smaller woman in a massive hug. Malachite was just as big as Jasper, if not bigger, and so a hug from her was rather frightening. However, nothing was as bad as a hug from Sugilite. That woman had crushing hugs that could do some serious damage.

"Good to see you too, Mal," Peridot's voice went up an unexpected octave halfway through her words when the lighter blonde gave her a crushing squeeze for no reason.

Malachite laughed loudly, causing Peridot to cringe because the sound was right in her ear. The smaller woman was released and quickly backpedaled to avoid being grabbed again. On top of mild social anxiety, she didn't much like physical contact either.

Jasper cut in then and introduced the three unfamiliar faces to Peridot, who simply smiled sheepishly and waved pathetically. She felt rather small, and not just in the literal sense because she was one of the shortest ones here next to Amethyst.

After introductions, everyone seemed to forget about Peridot and split into different groups. Lapis had simply disappeared, Opal and Pearl made their way to the porch to grab drinks and chips, and Jasper and Malachite started setting up the bonfire that was probably going to end up too big knowing those two.

Before she could retreat to the rock she had been sitting on before, Malachite waved her over, "Come help us, Peri!"

With a grumble she obliged, briskly walking toward the makeshift fire pit and crossing her arms once she got there.

Malachite was grinning devilishly as her cousin worked on getting more wood piled together, "How have you been, Nerd? Your leg doing okay?"

Peridot nodded and dryly said, "It's fine. I'm fine. Thanks for showing concern."

"Lighten up, will you?" Mal nudged her in the ribs gently, "It's good to see you out here tonight, and I think Lapis likes you." The taller woman added a wink for affect, but it was lost on Peridot.

"You've been here all of two minutes. How could you possibly think that Lazuli likes me?" The blonde narrowed her eyes and kept her arms crossed, disbelieving what she was hearing.

"Think of it as a gut feeling," Mal nodded, patted the smaller woman on the shoulder, and then moved to help Jasper who was getting ready to light the fire.

Peridot took this opportunity to quickly retreat to the rock where she and Lapis had been sitting prior. When she looked back at the makeshift camp, she noticed that Lapis was on the porch with Opal, laughing about something Pearl had said. Garnet had joined them, and was getting herself a beer from one of the coolers.

The blonde moved her gaze from the porch and looked toward the fire, which was now sparking to life. Amethyst had joined them there, and was chatting animatedly with Sugilite and Jasper, who had passed 'the torch' to her cousin. The remaining two, Onyx and Alex, had taken seats on the sand a little ways away from the flames. Alex wasn't saying anything, but Onyx was trying to butt in to Amethyst's conversation from where she sat.

Peridot sighed tiredly and turned her gaze to the ocean. It was kind of giving her the creeps now that she actually noticed it. It was dark out by this point, the only light coming from the slowly growing fire and the back porch light, which only lit up a little bit of the shore. Even with the poor lighting, the water looked black, and she knew that it went on indefinitely even though she couldn't visibly see it.

She shivered and pulled her legs up to her chest, hugging them and resting her chin on her organic knee. She hadn't heard the soft pad of footsteps on the sand, much like she wasn't aware of how much time had passed, but she did sense another being close to her which caused her to lift her head.

Lapis smiled down at her, joining her on the rock and mimicking her position of hugging her knees. "It's pretty."

"What is?"

"The ocean, silly."

"But you can't even see it," Peridot turned her gaze to the black water, squinting through her rectangular frames. "I can't understand why you would like it at night if you can't even see it."

Lapis started to laugh, which made Peridot look at her again with furrowed brows, but the sound stopped abruptly. "Oh, shoot. I was gonna bring us something to drink and I forgot. What would you like? A beer, soda?" The brunette stood and looked down at her companion.

Peridot didn't answer right away, and after a moment she stood up and looked toward the other woman. "I'll go with you. I'm not sure what I want."

The two walked toward the porch, Peridot with her hands in her pockets and Lapis with a smile on her face. The snack area was empty of bodies, and most of the snacks and the cooler with the beer were missing entirely. When Peridot looked over her shoulder toward the fire, she noticed said cooler situated in the sand between Jasper and Malachite, both of whom held a beer in their hands.

"Oh, great," Peridot mumbled.

"What's wrong?" Lapis looked at her companion, holding a bag of plain tortilla chips in her slender hands.

"My ride appears to be well on her way to intoxication."

"You know I have, like, three bedrooms in this house, right?" Lapis raised an eyebrow.

Peridot scowled at the brunette, who appeared unimpressed, and crossed her arms over her chest, "I never knew you until a few hours ago, or however long I've been here, so no, I don't know that. Now I know that, but who says that I want to crash in a strangers house?"

"Would it really be that bad? I thought we were hitting it off rather well," Lapis smiled, not offended in the least by Peridot's sudden harshness. "Come on," She motioned for Peridot to follow, which she did, and the two joined the rest of the group around the fire.

"Yo, Runt, you want a cold one?" Jasper patted the cooler that contained the alcohol and ignored the glare she got from using the nickname.

Peridot sighed, hesitated for only a second, and then held out her hand.

Jasper grinned wildly and popped open the lid of the cooler, retrieving a can of beer and slapping it none-to-gently into the smaller woman's outstretched hand.

The blonde muttered a thanks and cleaned the top of the can off on her shirt, a loose-fitting tank top that showed off her shoulders and tattoos, and then popped the beverage open. Meanwhile, to her side, Lapis was doing the same with her own can that Jasper had passed to her.

Two beers and one bag of chips later, Peridot was cracking up to the point that it felt like her sides were about rupture. She didn't even know what she had been laughing at, but Jasper was laughing just as loudly beside her and Lapis was quietly giggling to her other side, so whatever it was it had to have been hilarious.

The last time Peridot had alcohol was a few months before her accident. She didn't much care for the taste of alcoholic beverages, she much preferred soda or even water, but from time-to-time she liked to indulge. It allowed her to loosen up, which was something that on her own she had a hard time doing.

Three beers, two bags of chips, and various candy bars later, Peridot was seriously regretting her decision of drinking, especially when she paired said drinking with eating too much. Everyone else was still laughing and having a good time, but Peridot was quickly realizing why she didn't like drinking: she couldn't hold her liquor well. Also, it hadn't yet occurred to her that she never ate dinner, and chips and candy wasn't a proper meal.

Lapis leaned closer to the blonde, worry etched onto her face, "Are you okay?" She lowered her beer can and nestled it into the sand in front of her so it stood upright.

Peridot shook her head slowly, "I'm gonna be sick. I think."

"Let's go inside, then. You need to start drinking some water anyway," Lapis stood up, helping the smaller woman to her feet and then toward the door.

"How are you so collected? You had, like, eight beers," Peridot nearly shouted the last phrase, which she quickly regretted and shut her eyes, rubbing her temples. She groaned and allowed the brunette to tug her along.

"Well, for starters, I didn't have eight beers, I had half of that, and I can hold my alcohol pretty well," Lapis laughed, helping Peridot up the porch steps. However, as they neared the top step, the blonde missed her footing and went falling forward, almost taking Lapis with her in the process.

Peridot hissed in pain, having landed on the palms of her hands and, of course, her inorganic kneecap, which sent a jolt of pain through the residual limb. "Yeouch," She grumbled, attempting to stand and finding that to be rather difficult. Her cheeks were flushed a bright red, and when Lapis grabbed a hold of her arms to help her up she was quickly pushed away. "I got it," Peridot forced herself into a sitting position, and from there managed to get herself onto her feet. She felt the knee part of her prosthetic for any damage and was thankful that it had seemed to hold up okay. She had never fallen on it before, so she wasn't exactly sure what would happen. Despite the pain and humiliation, this was a good test of her limb. She would have to remember to pass on the information to her aunt the next time they spoke.

She looked over at Lapis, who was frowning at her, and suddenly felt less intoxicated than she had before. That fall must have snapped her out of it or something.

Lapis didn't say anything and opened the screen door, waiting for the other woman to go inside. Once Peridot was in, Lapis brushed passed her and into the kitchen where she got a glass of water and a bucket from under the sink, and then proceeded to take the blonde into her bedroom. "You can use my bed. Please don't puke in it." Her smile looked strained, but Peridot didn't care at the moment. She didn't feel good and her head and hands hurt.

"Thanks," Peridot watched as Lapis put the water on the nightstand and the bucket on the floor before heading for the door. She stopped on the threshold and looked back at the blonde, smiling for just a moment before she left and headed back outside. Peridot heard the screen door open and then seconds later slap shut again.

Once Peridot was alone, she sat on the bed with a sigh but quickly found her head in the bucket as she cleared her system of the beer she had regretfully indulged in.

She didn't remember much after that, but she did recall falling asleep somewhere around two in the morning.

When Peridot opened her eyes, she immediately regretted it. The sun was up and the light was reflecting in from outside. The window was open and a cool breeze was blowing in, which felt nice, but the brightness of everything made her squint and caused her head to throb.

She didn't remember falling back to sleep, but apparently she had, and when she woke for a second time she noticed something pressed against her back. She shifted on the bed and cracked her eyes open, noticing a familiar bob of brunette hair huddled beside her.

"Lazuli?" Peridot whispered loudly, panic suddenly kicking her into motion as she threw the sheet off herself, and partially her bedmate, and attempted to stand only to fall flat on her face instead. Thankfully, she hadn't been wearing her glasses, otherwise they would have surely broken.

With a grumble, the blonde rubbed at her sore nose and turned over onto her back, noticing what had caused her to fall—her limb was detached. That's right. She was sobered up enough last night after falling, and later puking once she was alone in the room, to remember to remove her limb for the evening, as well as to clean up the bucket of vomit. Sleeping with the prosthetic was something that she did not enjoy doing, even though she was guilty of doing it on rare occasions.

Peridot laid her head back on the floor, sighing and shutting her eyes tightly. She hadn't noticed the occupant of the bed shift and peer over the edge, looking down at the blonde who remained on the floor.

"Peridot?"

Hearing her name made the woman jump, which caused her eyes to flash open. She made eye contact with the tired, yet mildly concerned, blue orbs dangling above her.

"What?" She nearly screeched from being startled. When she noticed Lapis' eyes dart to her missing limb and then to a chair across from the bed that her prosthetic had been placed on, Peridot's cheeks suddenly grew to an intense red. Suddenly she felt extremely self-conscious and wished that she had never come to this party to begin with. Well, it wasn't like she had much choice in the matter, but regardless she was beginning to have regrets.

Lapis reconnected their eyes with a tired smile, "Are you okay? That thud sounded like it hurt."

Peridot sat up and rubbed her head, glaring at the brunette through her fingers. "You startled me. I didn't expect you to, uhm, share the bed."

Lapis raised an eyebrow, adjusting herself so she was sitting on the edge of the bed with her legs dangling over the edge. Peridot noticed that she was wearing just a tank top, which revealed her stomach, and some shorts. As usual the brunette was barefoot.

"Well, you kind of took my bed, and there was no way in hell that I was going to sleep on the floor when this thing is big enough to hold three people," Lapis rose to her feet and stood above Peridot, holding out both of her hands for the smaller woman to take. "How are you feeling?"

Although deeply embarrassed, Peridot took the offered hands and was pulled into a standing position. She was helped to the bed, where the blonde sat down with a heavy exhale of breath. "Head hurts, eyes hurt, leg hurts," Peridot listed off, using her fingers to count off the body parts. "I think that's all. Oh, wait, my bottom hurts too from your floor."

"I can get you something for all of that," Lapis laughed as she grabbed the empty cup on the bedside table and moved into the connecting bathroom to retrieve some medicine. When the brunette returned, she handed one long white pill and two smaller red pills to the blonde along with the glass of water she had filled from the bathroom sink.

Peridot took the offered medicine and drink and proceeded to ingest the pills. She drank all of the water and slammed the plastic cup down on the nightstand with a huff.

Lapis had taken a seat beside Peridot while she was taking the medicine, her blue eyes focusing intently on the blonde beside her.

The shorter of the two was about to say something when Lapis beat her to it, "Where are your pants, Peridot?"

Suddenly the blonde's eyes grew ten times their size as she stared down at her lower half. She hadn't even realized that she was pantless. Apparently when she removed her limb last night she failed to put her pants back on in favor or staying in just her panties, which were white with various stars and other space themed things on them, because it was simpler. Her green eyes shifted to the chair where her limb rested and saw the gray sweatpants hanging over one of the arms.

"It would appear that my pants are there, or rather, your pants." Peridot chuckled nervously.

Lapis hummed and then smirked, which made Peridot suddenly feel small. However, the brunette remained quiet as she stood and made her way to the chair, picking up the discarded garment and throwing them at the shorter woman. "Do you need help?"

"Getting my pants on?" Peridot nearly yelled, a scowl growing on her face as she cleared her vision from the obstruction thrown at her.

The brunette started to laugh, shaking her head as she pointed to the prosthetic.

"Oh, uhm, yeah. Could you just bring it to me? It's not too heavy," Peridot proceeded to slip her right leg through the correct hole and balanced on one leg to finish getting the sweats on. She sat back down, grabbing her glasses off the nightstand, as Lapis picked up the prosthetic and put it on the bed. She sat across from Peridot and looked at her with a tired smile.

"Uhm, are you going to watch or something?" Peridot frowned, fidgeting just a bit.

Lapis' eyes grew large, "I'm sorry! I was just curious how it would attach and all, especially since you told me last night that it connects to nerves and stuff. I'll leave though, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to intrude on such a personal matter." The brunette leaped up, starting to retreat from the room, but Peridot grabbed her wrist and stopped her just before she got too far away.

The blonde grumbled something that Lapis apparently couldn't make out, judging by her soft spoken, "Excuse me?"

"I said," Peridot's tone of voice grew louder and a tinge snappy, her grip tightening just a bit on the other woman's wrist, "That you can stay." She quickly let go of the other woman and started to roll up the pant leg of the missing limb. Once it was high enough and the residual limb was visible, Peridot adjusted the prosthetic and connected the two ends. Meanwhile, Lapis had fallen into silence as she resumed her position across the bed from Peridot and watched in silence.

Peridot spoke up only to explain how the device worked, and even showed Lapis the process as she went along. When she was done, she yanked the pant leg back down and slipped her remaining boot onto her organic foot.

"Amazing technology. I don't understand anything that you just said, but that's pretty rad, Peridot."

Peridot huffed smugly, "My aunt is a genius. She designed the technology behind this prosthetic on her own, and even built the first prototype before she had a team make one suitable for actual use. I'm using that one now. Well, the second model that her development team made is the one I'm using. The first one malfunctioned only a week after I had it." Peridot explained with the same amount of enthusiasm as she had shown the night before when she was first explaining about the device.

Lapis smiled, but it quickly turned downward, "Peridot?"

The blonde in question picked up on the sudden atmospheric change in the room and furrowed her eyebrows, "Yes?"

"Do you mind if I ask what happened?"

Peridot felt her heart stop for a moment. Lapis didn't know the story. She couldn't judge without knowing, which was why Peridot allowed herself to share so much with her. She knew that this would come up eventually though.

"You don't have to, I understand," Lapis smiled, but Peridot's sudden interruption startled her and made her smile drop.

"It was my fault. I was playing with my stupid radio, which had malfunctioned again and I just wanted my music back. It was dark. My tires caught on some loose gravel. I couldn't control it, I couldn't stop it," Peridot spoke softly, her whole demeanor shifting as she stared at her lap with a frown.

She barely felt the gentle touch on her left shoulder, and when she looked up, she saw Lapis smiling sadly at her.

"I was in a car accident once. My mother wasn't paying attention and ran a red light. We got t-boned. I don't remember much, it happened when I was eight, but I do remember that that was the last time I heard my mother's voice."

Peridot was at a loss for words. She sat there, her mouth hanging open like a fish out of water, but Lapis started to laugh.

"Are you trying to catch flies?"

"Well, I don't know what else to do after you went a dropped that bomb on me. What am I supposed to say to that? I'm sorry?" Peridot's voice had raised an octave by the time she neared the end of her words.

"You don't have to say anything. I just wanted to share with you my story. We've both lost something in terrible accidents, so I understand." Lapis stood up, moving her hand from the blonde's shoulder, "Are you hungry? I'll make breakfast. I'm also not sure who all is still here. I crashed around four so anything could have happened between then and now." Lapis sounded just a hair worried as she exited the room with Peridot in tow.

"What time is it now?"

"Eleven," Lapis glanced at the analog clock hanging on the wall in the living room. She then noticed the blankets, pillows, empty cans, and chip bags everywhere accompanied by the sleeping bodies of various attendees of the party. The rest were either back in the spare bedrooms or had left early that morning.

"Damn," Peridot frowned, scratching her cheek as she stuffed her other hand in one of her pockets.

Lapis hummed beside her, bringing a hand up to her chin as she stared at the scene spread out in her living room. After another moment passed, she said, "On second thought, let's go out for some food. My treat."

"Just you and me?" Peridot raised an eyebrow.

"Uhm, yeah. I'm not gonna wake up these monsters to go with us." Lapis smiled and retreated into her bedroom, rummaging around in a dresser drawer until she found what she was looking for. She changed right in front of Peridot, who had reentered the room just in time to be flashed by a lacey bra.

The blonde's cheeks lit up and she quickly covered her eyes, "Stop that!"

"Stop what?" Lapis smiled innocently, slipping on a T-shirt with some band design on it. "You can look now," The brunette slipped on a pair of flip flops and grabbed her keys and wallet from off her dresser. She didn't bother changing her pajama bottoms.

"I don't trust you. You're probably not wearing any pants," Peridot mumbled, but she slowly uncovered her eyes anyway.

Lapis just shook her head and walked passed her, leading the way out of the house and onto the front porch.

Peridot started fiddling with one of her earrings as she watched Lapis descend the steps and then turn to look at her.

"What?"

"Jasper blocked you in," She pointed to her friend's car.

Lapis followed her finger, and then sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Of course she did."

Peridot hummed before she thought of something. "You said that surf shop you work at is just down the street, right?"

"Yes?" Lapis raised an eyebrow.

"Let's just get some food from there and we can sit on the beach. The water should actually look like water and not a mass of never ending darkness like it was last night. It'll be like a picnic d—lunch." Peridot's eyes grew considerably wider from her slip up, and she fought back a nervous laugh.

Lapis smiled knowingly, and after a brief moment nodded her head, "A beach picnic date. I like the sound of that."

. . .

* * *

. . .

 **Author's Notes:** This is my first time writing a story for _Steven Universe_ , and it was only fitting to write about my favorite character, Peridot. I'm fond of the idea that she has a missing limb/prosthetic leg, and I also like the idea of tattoos and piercings on her. I'm actually working on some illustrations of modern Peridot, and hopefully I'll make one soon of her and Lapis so I can update the cover image of this story. I also finally found a ship that I enjoy in the series.

I also made up some stuff with her prosthetic. I did some research, of course, but what I didn't understand or couldn't find I just rolled with it and added some fantasy there by making it more like a robotic leg that can detach and attach like a normal prosthetic. If anything seems too weird or doesn't make sense just roll with it, please. It's a robo-limb, okay? I took some creative liberties there.

Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this! I know that I sure had a blast writing it, even though I don't too much like the ending.

If you see any mistakes please point them out to me politely! I've reread this several times, but even I miss things despite my thorough proofreading.

As for the story itself, this is the first installment of _The Greatest Hits_ , so all of the other chapters/stories will revolve around this one for the most part. Thank you for reading and sorry about the confusion with switching stories! Also, thank you to everyone who reviewed on the old collection and sorry for having to switch and delete stuff! From here on out it will be smooth, I promise!

Thanks!


	2. Tattoo

**Tattoo**

* * *

 _Thwump!_

The sound of the binder hitting the floor echoed throughout the tattoo parlor.

"You want me to do what now?" Peridot nearly screeched, her eyes wide behind her rectangular frames. From her mild outburst, she had already turned the heads of the owners of the shop and the one customer who was lazily looking at the artwork posted on the walls.

Lapis crossed her arms, "I want you to give me a tattoo."

Peridot's cheeks were suddenly on fire, and she scrambled to pick up the binder at her feet. She placed it down on the counter behind her and glanced toward Rose and Greg, both of whom were smiling at her. She looked back to Lapis with worry, "Uhm, you do know that I've only been officially accepted as a full-fledged tattoo artist for, like, a month now, right?"

Lapis hummed, "Yeah, I'm aware of that, and I don't care. I want you to give me a new tattoo, and, uhm, maybe add to my current one while you're at it?" The brunette smiled sheepishly, hooking her left thumb into the front pocket of her navy skinny jeans and using her other hand to rub at her jaw.

While Peridot remained staring at her girlfriend with mouth agape, she failed to notice Rose come up beside her and place a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

Rose looked to Lapis with a gentle smile, "Do you mind if I borrow Peridot for a moment?"

"Not at all, Mrs. Universe," The brunette smiled, picking up the binder that Peridot had previously dropped from its resting place on the counter. She took it to a chair nearby and sat down, crossing her legs and flipping the book open.

"Peridot?" Rose turned her attention to the blonde and slowly led her toward Greg, who was sitting in the back behind a desk with his legs propped up and a guitar in his arms. He was playing some random tune and humming along.

"Greg believes in you, otherwise he wouldn't have promoted you," Rose smiled knowingly and patted Peridot once on the shoulder before taking a seat beside her husband.

Greg was still playing the idle tune as he looked up at his newest tattoo artist. He was smiling as he asked, "What's eating at you?"

"What if I mess up?" Peridot started playing with one of her piercings, frowning as Rose and Greg shared a glance.

"We're all afraid of messing up, Peridot. That's life," Rose placed her hands on her lap and furrowed her brows.

"But it's on Lapis. She's trusting me with this and I haven't tattooed anyone yet. This would be my first client. If I mess up she might get mad, and if she gets mad we'll probably fight, and if we fight that could go in any direction good or bad. I would like to keep my girlfriend and maintain only positive outcomes." Peridot glanced over her shoulder and at the woman of topic, who had her face buried in the binder full of tattoo designs. She turned back to Mr. And Mrs. Universe with worry, "I mean, no mistakes are allowed, but on a stranger? Psh, that's okay because they're not important to me."

At hearing that, the one customer in the room looked toward Peridot with a dirty look on his face. Peridot hadn't noticed him and continued on despite the apologetic look Greg gave the man.

"I care about Lapis, and I'd be forced to always look at it. Not to mention she'd be living with my fuck up. No thanks. No way." The blonde pointed an accusing finger at her boss, "Greg, you tattoo her. You're the master here."

Greg laughed softly, letting his guitar hang from his neck and rest on his lap as he held his hands up in defense, "No way! Peridot, you're missing the point here. It's okay to be nervous, but you have to overcome that. The point though is that Lapis wants a tattoo from _you_ , not me. She doesn't care about the image itself but rather the fact that you, someone she cares about, is the one who did it. Do you understand?"

Peridot was quiet for a long moment, eyebrows furrowed as her hand playing with her piercing dropped to her side. Her eyes suddenly grew twice their size, "Oh."

Rose laughed lightheartedly and stood, taking Peridot's hands into her own, "You're a sweet girl, Peridot. Lapis is as well. I think the two of you are good each other, and even if you mess up I don't think it'll be the end of you. Just keep it simple, okay? Nothing too complex and you can worry less, right?" She let go of the blonde's hands and motioned her toward Lapis. "Besides, you will need to get over your fear of tattooing sooner or later. Wouldn't it better to have your first experience with someone you love?"

Peridot nodded slowly, a heavy blush overcoming her features as she backpedaled from her bosses and returned to her girlfriend near the windows.

She cleared her throat and adjusted her glasses, looking anywhere but at her girlfriend, "Lapis."

"Uh huh?" The brunette looked up from the plastic sheets filled with images and stared at the blonde with one eyebrow raised. "Did you have a nice talk?"

"Yes. I've also decided that I will give you a tattoo. A small one." Peridot nodded her head and finally made eye contact with Lapis, who was smiling at her. The blonde matched her smile, albeit apprehensively, and offered out a hand, which Lapis took and stood up.

The brunette returned the binder to its place on the counter and took one of Peridot's hands, holding it tightly, "Awesome. What about adding to my current tattoo?"

"One step at a time, please," Peridot squeezed her hand.

"Of course, Newbie," Lapis playfully nudged her in the ribs, earning a scowl from the shorter woman.

"So what were you thinking about getting for the new one?" Peridot raised an eyebrow, changing the subject as she slipped her hand out of Lapis' grasp. She moved around the counter and picked up a notepad and a pencil.

"A gem. My namesake gem, actually. I kind of wanted it in the middle of my back right below my neck. In the middle of the wings I already have, you know?" She turned around and pointed to where she was talking about.

Peridot nodded her head and started scribbling some stuff on the paper. After approximately five seconds, she showed the brunette what she had done. On the paper were three different designs of the stone. One was in the shape of a teardrop, another in the shape of an oval, and the remaining one a rectangle. "And I was worried that you wanted something difficult," Peridot snorted.

Lapis laughed, "And you think drawing a circle on a person with a needle isn't going to be difficult?"

Peridot shook her head with a confident grin, "No, ma'am. Which one do you like? Or do you like none?"

Her girlfriend took the notepad from her and looked over the three shapes. After a moment she finally said, "I like the teardrop. Can you render it more and show me what you would actually be tattooing onto me?"

"Of course, you clod," Peridot playfully punched the other woman on the arm and retreated behind the counter once more. "Give me, like, five minutes."

Lapis leaned against the counter and peered over it, watching as Peridot started sketching out an actual design of the tattoo. In less than five minutes, Lapis was keeping track, Peridot shoved the notepad in her girlfriend's face without a word.

Blue eyes danced over the drawing, and the longer Lapis was quiet the more nervous Peridot became. Yes, the design itself was simple to the point that the young artist didn't even have to do any research, but what if it sucked? Or Lapis didn't like it?

"When can we get started?" Lapis looked up from the paper, handing the pad back to Peridot with a wide smile.

The blonde blushed and took the pad, walking behind the counter and waking the computer up. She plopped down in a cheap office chair, and after a moment she asked, "How's tomorrow at noon?"

Lapis draped herself over the counter and stared at Peridot with a wide grin, "Perfect."

. . .

* * *

. . .

 **Story Notes:** Yup. Greg is a tattoo artist in this. It felt like the right thing to do, so I did it and I like it. Rose helps him by being his receptionist, so answering phones, taking appointments, and making sure that the place runs smoothly so her husband can just focus on his work. She's not an artist. Greg, of course, still writes his own music.

This also takes place a significant amount of time after "Bad Habits." Approximately six to eight months have passed since Peridot first met Lapis in that story.


	3. Girlfriends

**Girlfriends**

 **Warnings:** Brief mention of suicide and death

* * *

 _Tap, tap, tap._

Peridot looked up from her sketchbook to stare at the brunette sitting across from her. Lapis was tapping her mechanical pencil on the open textbook before her, but her body was twisted around to look at the television.

Peridot thought she remembered her companion putting it on the comedy channel, but she couldn't remember exactly nor did she really care. It was background noise to her.

Lapis chuckled softly at something on the screen, but soon enough she was turning back around and looking at the blonde. She hummed softly, which caused Peridot, who had returned to her drawing, to snap her head back up to stare at the other woman.

After a moment of quietly staring at one another, Peridot scowled, "What?"

"Let's go on a date."

"Excuse me?" The blonde suddenly clammed up, dropping her pencil and grabbing hold of the edges of the small square table. Her cheeks began to burn and she couldn't seem to fully form a sentence.

When they first met Peridot was wary, but opening up to the brunette had been easier than she had anticipated and their friendship quickly blossomed.

The blonde cleared her throat, "Like, a _date_ , date kind of date or just out to eat casual kind of date between two friends?" Peridot used her hands as she spoke, and her cheeks remained a deep shade of red. She couldn't make out the expression on her companion's face, and how Lapis was staring at her made her feel rather small.

"Which one would you prefer?"

Peridot sputtered out a few incoherent words before she managed to find one sentence that fought its way out, "What kind of a question is _that_?"

"The one I asked," Lapis chuckled and rested both of her elbows on the table. She placed her pencil down and rested her chin on both of her hands. She stared at Peridot for a long few minutes, and the longer she stared the more flustered Peridot became.

The blonde cleared her throat and started to compose herself, closing her sketchbook and putting her pencils away to give herself a moment to collect her thoughts. She crossed her arms and leaned back in her seat once finished, eyeing the brunette suspiciously, "And if I say that I want a, uhm, _date_ , date? What will you say then?"

"I would have to ask you if you'd be okay with getting burritos."

Peridot narrowed her eyes despite the seemingly permanent blush on her face, "Burritos are good. I like those."

"Get your shoes on then," Lapis slid out of her seat and smiled before quickly disappearing into her bedroom.

Peridot remained sitting there, still quite confused on what was even happening. Did this mean that they were going on a real date? Did Lapis like her like that? Did _she_ like Lapis like that? They'd known each other for four months now and they had hit it off rather well, but feelings such as these were strange to Peridot.

All throughout high school she had never dated. No one was interested in her and vice versa, and her best friend being Jasper, who at the time, and technically still was to this day, too tall and massive for normal girls her age, had a habit of scaring everyone away. Who would want to date the best friend of girl who could crush skulls with only her fists? Not many had the nerves, apparently. Not only that, but Peridot was more focused on her 'nerd things' as Jasper often called it. Nerd things being her books, studies, art, video games, et cetera. Peridot had always been socially inept, but high school was on a completely different level of that.

Thankfully, she had met Lapis through Jasper, which meant that there was no way that the bigger woman could scare the brunette off.

"Peridot. Peridot, hey."

The one in question blinked rapidly and refocused her gaze, staring up at Lapis who had been snapping her fingers in the blonde's face trying to get her attention.

"Earth to Peridot, are you in there?" The brunette laughed, and then took a step back and dropped something on the floor beside her. "Since you didn't get your shoes I got them for you."

Peridot nodded her head and chuckled nervously, "I guess I'm a little spacey today." She noticed that Lapis had changed out of her black tank top in favor of a tight fitting T-shirt with a band logo printed on the front. She had remained in her skinny jeans and basic flats, and she was carrying a flannel shirt in her arms. Peridot also took note that the blue streaks that littered her companion's hair were beginning to fade.

Peridot scooted her chair back and grabbed for her shoes, slipping them on and tying them quickly. She suddenly felt underdressed in her loose-fitting T-shirt, baggy sweatpants, and combat boots. Her hair was a mess on top of it all, which honestly wasn't out of the ordinary, but suddenly she was extremely self-conscious of how she looked, especially if they were apparently going out on a 'date.'

She stood and crossed her arms, looking at Lapis with furrowed eyebrows. She still couldn't help but feel like Lapis was joking about the classification of date they had seemingly agreed upon. Peridot was taking it as them going out as a couple, which caused the pit of her stomach to flutter unfamiliarly. Sometimes she wished that she could read minds. She didn't like to be wrong about things, and that ability would make things so much easier.

"Don't look at me like that, Peri," Lapis gently punched her shoulder, and then hooked their arms together.

They left Lapis' house, with the brunette driving them to wherever they were going for burritos. Once they arrived at the eatery, Peridot insisted on paying for everything and told Lapis to shush and order whatever she wanted. The blonde had been afraid that Lapis would pay for everything, which she did not want happening.

Once food was ordered, they got their beverages, Peridot getting some cola and Lapis getting some sweet tea, and then located their seats.

Idle chatter passed between them as they waited for their meals, and when their number was called Peridot was quick to go and get the food. When she returned, they ate in mostly silence with a bit of chitchat here and there. Peridot was beginning to get a touch nervous the longer they sat there though, and the idea that this was a real date slowly set in.

The blonde set down her half-eaten burrito and looked at her companion, expression serious, "Lazuli."

The woman in question raised an eyebrow and set her own burrito down, "Yes?"

"Please clarify for me. I don't want to be wrong on my assumption. Is this a date? Like a definitive 'you like me and I like you so let's go out' kind of date?"

"I thought we covered this already back at my place?" Lapis furrowed her brows.

"Yes, but, I don't want to be wrong. Just—" Peridot frowned, unsure of where to go from there.

Lapis sighed and stood up suddenly, causing Peridot's frown to deepen and her heart to start going berserk. However, instead of leaving, like the blonde expected, Lapis squeezed into the booth beside her.

Peridot scooted over to make room so the taller woman wouldn't sit on her. "Lazuli? What are you doing?"

Lapis took the blonde's hand in her own and intertwined their fingers, smiling at her, "I've liked you since I met you. You seemed sweet, although pretty closed in on yourself for reasons that I can understand. You've come a long way in the months that I've known you though." She smiled sheepishly, "Jasper told me a bit about you, how you haven't dated much in the past, and since your accident how your self-esteem just kind of crumbled. She also told me your preference, so I wasn't afraid of if you didn't roll that way just if you weren't interested in me personally."

Peridot kept her attention on the table, noticing all of the fancy swirling patterns that adorned the monotonous tan colored surface. She listened intently though as she spoke, and squeezed her hand when she appeared to be finished. Peridot laughed softly, "Leave it to Jasper, right?"

"Hey, at least she was only helping me make a move on you and not revealing your darkest secrets. I'll have you know that if she tried to say anything too personal that I would have stopped her. I want to hear things like that from you in your own time, not your best friend," Lapis nudged her gently in the ribs, earning a small smile from the shorter woman.

"Good to know, Lazuli," Peridot nodded, and then shifted in her seat some so she could get a better look at her companion. She glanced the brunette over, studying her, and then settled back against the cushion of the booth.

"What was that all about?" Lapis chuckled, staring at the blonde with one eyebrow raised.

Peridot shook her head, and then released her hand from Lapis' grasp and shooed the other woman out of her side of the booth. "I would like to finish my burrito, please."

By now Peridot was sure that Lapis understand her mannerisms, and even though at times she could be harsh she meant no harm by it. Peridot didn't know how to convey her feelings well, she never had, and she blamed it on growing up mostly with her emotionally distant aunt. However, those she loved or cared about she would often call names and punch to show her affection. It was just how she was, but her rude words were never said with malice and her punches were always gentle.

"Of course, of course, do continue your feast, Madam," Lapis grinned crookedly and slipped out of Peridot's side of the booth and back to her own side.

The rest of the date was spent mostly in silence as the two finished eating, and before they left the establishment, they refilled their drinks and dumped out their trash. Once outside, Lapis slipped her hand into Peridot's free one and gave the smaller woman a smile, who seemed apprehensive at first about the public display of physical contact.

They began to walk down the sidewalk, not going anywhere in particular and not even back toward the car, which was in the other direction. As they walked, Peridot sipped her cola, and then glanced toward Lapis. "Jasper is probably going to be seeing a lot less of you."

"Or a lot more of _you_ ," Lapis countered.

"Not likely. I live with that clod, so there's no escaping the lovable Peridot."

Lapis laughed, shaking her head, "Actually, she might start seeing _less_ of you if you keep coming over to my house like you have."

Peridot huffed, "I like your house more than my apartment. You have the ocean, which I have come to like, and more open space. My apartment is small and sometimes it feels too—" The blonde hummed, "What's the word? Claustrophobic? How did you come to acquire such a nice home, Lazuli?"

"My parents. They had a lot of money and when they passed it all went to me. It's all in a trust fund though. I get so much of it each month and it pays for the house and most of my bills. My job at the surf shop is just for extra expenses, like food and clothes and dates and stuff." Lapis smiled.

Peridot wasn't smiling though. Her eyebrows drew together as she looked at her companion, "You said your mother passed away in a car accident, right?" When Lapis nodded the blonde continued, "So what happened to your father?"

"Suicide."

Peridot instantly fell quiet, cheeks burning, and she averted her gaze. Quietly, she mumbled, "Sorry."

"For what? It doesn't upset me as much as it used to. It's been years since then, and I've come to terms with what happened," Lapis squeezed her hand reassuringly. "He couldn't take the fact that my mother was gone. Even I wasn't enough to keep him here, apparently."

Peridot decided not to pry any further on that particular subject and instead moved back on topic of the house, "Did you buy that house then with the money?"

Lapis shook her head, "Actually, no. The grandparents I moved in with after I lost my parents owned that house but only used it during the summer on some occasions. When I was old enough to move out on my own, they said I could live there since they didn't use it anymore. My house payment is just me paying them for the house itself so I can own that, too. My grandparents are sweet people, so I don't mind paying them back for their kindness."

"Huh. That would explain how you have such a huge place for just yourself."

Lapis laughed, "No shit. I don't need that much space, and I could probably rent out some rooms, but no thanks. I don't like living with people I don't know."

Peridot hummed and took a sip of her cola, shaking it some to adjust the ice in the cup.

The duo fell into silence as they walked aimlessly, on occasion stopping to peer into a shop or to throw away one of their empty beverage cups. After a while, they found a bench and sat down, taking a rest.

It was then that Lapis asked, "So what's up with your family, Peridot? I've told you some about mine, but you haven't told me much about yours. I'm just curious, but you don't have to if you don't want too, of course."

Peridot shrugged, "I don't mind telling. My parents passed away when I was little, so I barely remember them. For as long as I can remember, I've lived with my aunt. The one I told you about before, who made my prosthetic?"

Lapis nodded, "Yeah, I remember that."

"She's not the kindest person on the planet, but she raised me and I think loves me. I mean, she spent however much money to create this thing," She stuck her prosthetic leg out and gestured toward it before putting it back down, "So that's gotta mean something, right? I barely saw her when I was living with her, and since my accident I think I've spoken with her more now than in my whole existence prior."

Lapis scratched her cheek, "Does she live around here?"

Peridot nodded, "Yeah, in the next town over. That's where her headquarters, Diamond Incorporated, is located."

Lapis' eyes grew wide, " _Diamond Incorporated_ is owned by your aunt?"

Peridot stared suspiciously at her companion, "Yes?"

"Holy shit, Peri. I didn't know your aunt was Nora Diamond!"

The blonde shrugged, "It's whatever."

"It's whatever? That woman is a business tycoon like no other and you're her niece!" Lapis' enthusiasm fell just a little bit when she noticed how deflated Peridot appeared. "Your relationship with her was tough, wasn't it?"

Peridot nodded, "She was never around. She also refused to tell me about my parents, so I have no idea what they were like. Very rarely she would mention her sister, but it wasn't always nice things she had to say. She seemed to be okay with me though, I think. I was smart and always studying and getting good grades in school, so I presume that made her not hate me. I don't know though. She's a hard woman to read, and half of the time she had her assistant dealing with me instead of her herself."

"I'm sure she loves you, Peridot," Lapis placed a gentle hand on the blonde's shoulder and earned a weak smile in return. "Let's go back to my place. We can watch a movie or something."

"Sounds good," Peridot stood, this time taking the initiative and grabbing hold of Lapis' hand. She intertwined their fingers and led the way back down the street toward her companion's vehicle.

. . .

* * *

. . .

 **Author's Notes:** So, as I mentioned in the story itself, this takes place four months after "Bad Habits _,"_ and about four months before "Tattoo." Essentially, as I am sure you can gather, this is when Lapis and Peridot officially start dating. There is also some extra information regarding Lapis' family and Peridot's aunt.

Nora Diamond = Yellow Diamond

Noran = "yellow" in Korean according to Google searches, and Nora means honor.

Yellow D and Peridot do not share the same last name.

Drop a review and let me know your thoughts! Also, let me know whom you would like to read about next! So far I've got a request for Peridot and Lapis' first kiss and how Jasper and Peridot became friends. Thank you to LegolasPotter, Skavvie, and billy the great now 16 for reviewing on the old story!

Thanks for reading!


	4. Missing Information

**Missing Information**

* * *

"Peridot, get your shoes on," Jasper crossed her arms, staring down at the smaller woman who was huddled up in a black hoodie and shorts on the couch in their living room.

Peridot raised her gaze from the television after a long second passed and stared, unimpressed, at her much larger companion, "What for?" She pushed her glasses up with her middle finger, which didn't go unnoticed by the other woman.

"I'm dragging you to a party, why else?" Jasper decided not to comment on the nonchalant 'bird' she had received.

"I don't want to go," The blonde looked away and back to the TV, hugging her knees to her chest and trying to refocus on the show.

"Lapis is going to be there. I thought you'd want to go since your girlfriend is," Jasper sat beside the smaller of the two, staring at the TV with a raised eyebrow. "This dumb show again? I thought it ended months ago."

"It did. They're simply playing reruns now," Peridot waved a hand, about to start on a rant, but her eyes grew wide and only one thing left her mouth, "Wait, Lapis is going? She told me that she was stuck at work tonight." She turned and looked at Jasper.

The larger woman raised an eyebrow, "Seriously? That's not what _I_ heard. When did she tell you this?"

Peridot grabbed her phone off the coffee table, unlocking it and going straight to her messages. After a moment, she said, "Four hours ago."

"Huh," Jasper scrunched her features, and then placed a hand on Peridot's shoulder and squeezed gently. "I'm sure she has a good explanation. She _better_ have a good explanation."

Peridot smiled at the threat, "Aw, you do care."

"Shut up. Do you want to go or not?"

The blonde punched her friend on the arm with a light laugh, "Yes, I'll go."

Jasper mused up her hair with a laugh of her own and stood, retreating to the back rooms. "We leave in five," She called just before she disappeared into the bathroom.

Peridot nodded and stood up, stretching out her body and turning the TV off before vanishing into her bedroom. She swapped her shorts for a pair of skinny jeans and fixed her hair, but she decided to remain in her hoodie.

The worry began to settle in about Lapis right about then. Why did she lie to her about not going to the party? Or maybe communication between the host of said party and Lapis got lost? Of course, Peridot was thinking the worst despite her attempts to remain positive. The worst being that Lapis purposely lied to her so she could go to the party without her knowledge, but what would the brunette gain from that? It was illogical, but most people acted without logical reason.

Peridot slipped on a pair of black Converse and exited the room, waiting near the front door.

Jasper joined her in a matter of seconds and together they left the apartment. Peridot stuffed her hands in the front pocket of her hoodie and waited as Jasper locked the door before she walked out onto the sidewalk. "So whose place will we be trashing?"

"Onyx's. She lives in the next nicest place after Lapis."

Peridot hummed and got into Jasper's beat up two door vehicle. The drive to the party was quiet except for the low-leveled radio, and when they arrived the blonde frowned, "This is my first time being here." Onyx's apartment building was quaint, and Peridot noticed that it was situated in the nice side of town. Shrubberies and flowerbeds decorated the outside, and it appeared well kept. She had only known Onyx for roughly nine months now, so it was a bit of a surprise that she hadn't yet been to her place. Alex and Opal she hadn't visited much of either, but they were more of Jasper's friends than her's, so she supposed that deep down it wasn't that much of a surprise after all. She saw plenty of everyone anyway at her own apartment courtesy of her best friend.

"We don't often have parties here," Jasper looked at the blonde, motioning for her to follow once they had exited the car. Onyx lived on the first floor and was relatively close to the entrance of the complex so it was easy to find. Within seconds after knocking on the correct door, Onyx's cheery face was greeting them, "Jasper! Oh, and Peridot! What a lovely surprise. Come in, come in." The tanned woman moved out of the way to allow them access, and once in she closed the door swiftly. "It's so lovely to you have guys here. You're the last to arrive, mind you." Onyx led them into the living room and gestured around them, "This is the main space of the party." She then slipped her arm through Peridot's and started to give her a tour of the rest of the house despite how uncomfortable the smaller woman was with being touched.

Jasper laughed at the pleading look she received from the blonde, "Hang in there, Peri. The tour won't take long." She leaned in close suddenly, keeping her voice low, "I'll find you if I find Lapis first. Come and get me if you need me though. Send a text. I'll answer." She gave Peridot's shoulder a quick squeeze before giving a mock salute and disappearing to mingle with the other partygoers. That left the blonde with the energetic woman who couldn't seem to stop smiling.

"Okay, so there's the bathroom," She motioned to the right and down a short hallway, "And the kitchen." This time she pointed at an open area to the left that was twice the size of her own kitchen at home. "Help yourself to drinks and snacks, just please don't make a mess. All other rooms are off limits too, so I better not find you snooping," The woman laughed and released her hold on Peridot. "Enjoy yourself, and it's good to see you again, love." And just like that she was gone, off to go harass someone else, or so Peridot presumed. She felt like she had just gotten off one of those spinning teacup rides at the fair.

"First Jasper leaves me with Onyx, then Onyx leaves me after taking me for the world's dizziest, albeit quickest, tour, and now I don't know what to do with myself," Peridot grumbled and made her way to the kitchen to get something to drink. When she managed to push passed some people she didn't recognize who were blocking one of the entrances, she noticed that that the only options were an assortment of alcoholic beverages and a few different soda types. Go figure. Peridot had sworn off alcohol after how it affected her the last time at the beach party, so she grabbed a soda and wandered into the living room.

She spotted Garnet sitting on the sofa alone, so she moved herself over there and took a seat. Clinging to familiar faces was important, although she still wasn't sure about Garnet. The woman with the russet brown skin was always quiet, and she had this knowing twinkle in her eyes, but Peridot liked her over most of the other riff raff Jasper hung out with. She opened her cola, but even the pop of the can opening didn't make Garnet notice her.

It was when Peridot took a sip that the other woman spoke, which caused the blonde to jump and almost spill her beverage all over herself.

"Nice to see you, Peridot."

"Likewise," The blonde nodded irritably and sipped the soda off the rim of the can. When the top was clean she set the beverage on her lap and stared at Garnet, waiting for her to say something. It didn't take long.

"How are you and Lapis doing?"

At mention of her girlfriend, Peridot's cheeks warmed and her speech became flustered, "We're okay. Fine." The smaller woman shrugged, and then furrowed her brows, "How did you know we were dating?"

Garnet simply smiled, apparently opting not to answer and instead remain annoyingly mysterious like usual.

Peridot huffed, taking another gulp of her soda. Jasper probably told everyone about them now that she thought about it. Or Lapis told her share of people. Peridot had only told Jasper, and Mr. and Mrs. Universe because they had asked, but other than that, she kept her mouth shut. It was no one's business.

Before any more conversation could ensue, Pearl walked up to them and took Garnet's attention. Although the beanpole said a polite hello to Peridot, soon enough they were both gone. That left the blonde alone with only Garnet's words left to echo in her head, "Have fun tonight."

Peridot grumbled, "Sure, whatever. Thanks."

Thinking of her best friend made her wonder where she had gone, and where Lapis could have been if she were even here. Supposedly, Jasper and Peridot were the last to arrive, which meant that Lapis was either lying or telling the truth. In other words, no new information regarding the whereabouts of her girlfriend had cropped up.

Standing, Peridot maneuvered away from the sofa and around the room, deciding to make an effort to look for her girlfriend. There were a lot more people here than usual, and most of them were faces that she didn't recognize. She saw Malachite standing near the hallway but avoided her, knowing where that conversation would lead. Pearl, who had stolen Garnet just seconds before, was standing near Amethyst and Sugilite, all drinking and laughing. Alex was actually with Jasper over in one of the corners of the room, away from everyone else, talking in hushed tones. Opal was nowhere in sight, surprisingly, but the soft-spoken woman didn't register as the large party type. The remainder of the crowd was filled with strange faces, and she still didn't see Lapis anywhere.

Someone bumped into her while she was scanning the crowd, and her frown turned into a scowl as she turned on the person, some guy she didn't know, and told him to watch where he was going. He gave her a funny look before moving on, not uttering even an apology.

"Rude clod," Peridot spat, crossing her arms. Suddenly she felt extremely small. She hadn't expected such a huge gathering, and she especially didn't expect it to be filled with mostly unrecognizable faces.

While she was lost in thought yet again, she felt a hand clamp down on her shoulder. She spun around, a mix of panic and anger in her gaze, until she noticed that she was staring at the one she was still looking for.

"Lazuli," Peridot's eyes had widened and a hint of excitement could be heard in her voice. However, the stunned look on Lapis' face didn't do much to ease the previously worried thoughts of the blonde.

"What are you doing here, Peridot?"

"Excuse me?" Peridot's previous excitement from having found Lapis died away, and in its place stood anger. "What are _you_ doing here? What happened to having to stay late at work?" She placed her nearly empty soda can down on a bookcase to her right, and then fully faced Lapis as she waited for an answer. However, the guilty look on her girlfriend's face said it all.

Peridot scoffed, "Unbelievable! You lied to me, Lazuli."

"I didn't lie, I just didn't tell you that my plans had changed," Lapis rubbed the back of her neck, averting her gaze from the blonde, who was fuming.

"No, I'm pretty sure that that still counts as lying. At least, it counts in my book. All you had to say was that you wanted to go here instead. I would have understood. In fact, I would have come with you if you wanted. I don't like these gatherings, but for you and Jasper I'll tag along. It does get me out of the house," Peridot rambled a little, her nerves getting the better of her as she started to get worked up. She quickly shut her mouth and resumed her scowl, staring at Lapis accusingly. "Did you not want me to come? Or are you hiding something that you didn't want me to know?" She crossed her arms to still the shaking of her hands.

"Peri, it's not like that," Lapis reached out a hand, but the blonde shrugged it away. The brunette put her hands on her hips and sighed, "I just didn't see a point in telling you. I had already bailed on you, so why tell you that plans had changed and I was still just going to bail on you?"

"Because I would have come to the party with you. You should have known that Jasper was going to ask me if I wanted to go. She always does."

"It's a fifty-fifty chance though if you actually come or not," Lapis raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, when Jasper asks me. If _you_ ask me I'll always say yes just so I can see you. Shit, Lazuli." Peridot glared, "This is stupid. I'm going home." Peridot uncrossed her arms, clenching her hands into fists, and turned away. She started for the door, but Lapis grabbed her wrist and stopped her.

"You're not running away. Let's talk about this."

"You mean _you_ can talk. You have some explaining to do. Is it too much to ask not to lie? If Jasper hadn't asked me to come along I would have never known that you even lied." Peridot let her own words sink in, and after a few seconds, her eyes went wide. "Are you even sorry? Or are you just upset that you got caught?" Peridot narrowed her eyes, her voice raising near the end of her sentence.

Lapis looked ashamed, and Peridot deflated upon seeing that look on the brunette's face. "I can't believe this. Why would you do that? I know we've only been dating for five months b—"

But Peridot never finished her sentence because Lapis had leaned in, pushing her lips against the blonde's and putting both of her hands on either side of Peridot's head.

The blonde instantly stilled, any anger she had dissipating for the time being. After a stunned moment, she slowly leaned into the kiss, closing her eyes as she rested her hands on Lapis' shoulders. After approximately ten seconds Lapis broke the embrace but kept her hands where they were, which was helping keep Peridot in place.

"I am sorry that I lied. I didn't mean too. I honestly didn't think that you would have cared that I didn't say anything, but obviously I was wrong."

"Obviously. Did you even have to stay late at work to begin with?" Peridot frowned.

Lapis nodded, "Yes, I didn't lie about that, and I did end up staying an extra hour. My boss changed his mind though. I figured since I already bailed on you that I would just go to the party instead, but I should have told you. I'm sorry."

"Why though? What made you think that I wouldn't want to hang out even after your plans changed? Or that I wouldn't want to go to the party with you?"

Lapis laughed, moving her hands off Peridot's face and resting them on her shoulders instead, "I don't know. Honestly? I just thought that you would say no to the party and I wanted to go, so I figured I'd just not say anything and go."

"Well, know this, Lazuli, that if you ever want to go anywhere I'll go with you, even though parties are not my scene." Peridot attempted a small smile, and received one in return.

"I'm sorry I kept things from you," The brunette leaned forward and kissed Peridot lightly on the forehead, which caused the shorter of the two to blush.

"I'm still mad at you, you clod. You had me worried there."

"Worried? Over what?"

"Everything and anything! You lied, and lying leads to worse things. We've been together for five months and I don't need drama. I only like that crap on TV, not in reality." Peridot laughed and ran a hand through her hair.

"I'll make it up to you," The brunette promised.

"You better."

Lapis hummed, leaning her forehead against Peridot's with a soft smile.

After a moment of silence Peridot spoke up, "I'm sorry too."

"For?" Lapis pulled back and stared at the shorter woman.

"Overreacting. I—" The blonde clammed up, averting her gaze, "I suppose you didn't _really_ lie, you just left out some information when the equation changed."

"It's okay. We both suck, how's that?" Lapis grinned.

"That will suffice," Peridot grinned awkwardly. Her smile fell into a more thoughtful look when something came to mind though, "Hey, that was our first kiss."

"Huh, I guess it was,"

"Foreheads and cheeks don't count, right?"

"Not as a genuine _kiss_ kiss, no. Or at least I don't think so." The Brunette brought a hand up to her chin in thought, but she started to chuckle after a moment.

Peridot shrugged, and then leaned forward and up some and kissed Lapis quickly on the lips. "Well, since you're here, and I'm here, we might as well move passed this small debacle and try and have some fun, right? I've gotta find Jasper, though. Tell her things are cool."

Lapis nodded and interlocked their fingers, "Lead the way."

. . .

* * *

. . .

 **Author's Notes:** As was requested, here is Lapis and Peridot's first kiss, coupled with their first (kind of) fight! This took me a little while to write because I had a difficult time figuring out _why_ they would fight (or rather argue), but I think I like this? So, yeah.

This takes place one month after "Tattoo," nine months after "Bad Habits," and five months after "Girlfriends."

I wanted to clarify a few things in the name department too, just in case some of you were confused for whatever reason. I'm also only using actual characters from the show, no fan characters, so you don't have to worry about that.

Onyx = Sardonyx  
Alex = Alexandrite

So far, I also have how Jasper and Peridot became friends and when Peridot lost her leg as partially written future chapters. Is there anything else that you guys would like to see in the future? I'm open to any suggestions. They don't all have to focus around Lapis and Peridot together, even though they are the main focus. Any side character is cool, and even their pasts are an option.

Anyway, enjoy, and thank you for reading!


	5. Yogurt

**Yogurt**

* * *

"Whatcha reading, nerd?"

Peridot looked up at the sudden voice, eyes wide. "Uh," She swallowed noticeably and frowned, "A book?"

The brute of a seventh grader, who had situated herself across the table from Peridot, smirked and snatched the paperback from the smaller girl.

"Hey! Give that back, you clod," Peridot growled and tried to steal it back, but the bigger girl laughed loudly and held it far out of her reach.

"Make me, runt."

Peridot sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. Jasper was a notorious bully who preyed on the weak or those who were into things that she deemed as nerdy. For years, Peridot had avoided any confrontation with the brute, but ever since seventh grade started two weeks ago, Jasper had taken an interest in the smaller girl. It was funny how a girl with vitiligo, a skin condition that caused white blotches to appear on her otherwise darker skin, was a bully. Peridot wondered if she was bullied when she was younger. It would explain a lot.

To Jasper, Peridot was the perfect victim though, what with her rectangular glasses, small stature, and overall interest in nerd activities.

"What do you want from me, Jasper? Some lunch money? My _yogurt_?" She gestured toward a yogurt cup sitting near her. The rest of her lunch she had already consumed. "It's key lime pie. You can have it."

Jasper slammed the book shut, some young adult novel filled with fantasy and romance, and smiled at Peridot, "I want this book."

The look made the smaller girl uncomfortable, but she wasn't about to back down. "No way! I'm not even done reading it, and you just lost my place, too." Peridot shook her head, "You can have my yogurt but not my book, you dumb clod."

At the insult Jasper's smile vanished, and in its stead was a glare, "Dumb clod?"

"Yeah, I bet you don't even know how to read. Weren't you held back twice?" Peridot crossed her arms and stared at the bully smugly. However, the more she basked in her glory of standing up for herself and the longer Jasper looked at her like that, the less confident she felt. Her demeanor slackened and her heartbeat quickened, "Uhm."

Suddenly Jasper was standing, reaching across the table and grabbing Peridot by the front of her hoodie. She pulled the blonde halfway over the table, which caused her to bonk her knees on the edge and wince in pain, and growled. Their faces were inches from one another, "What did you say, Runt?"

Peridot nervously looked at the angry seventh grader, surprised by how strong she was even though Peridot weighed about as much as a pillow. "Which part? I said several things," She smiled crookedly, a bead of sweat breaking out on her forehead. This wasn't what she had expected her lunch to be like today.

No one around them noticed what was happening either, or they just didn't care, much to Peridot's distress.

"Shut up, and don't you dare bring up the fact that I was held back. How the hell do you even know that?" Jasper pushed the smaller girl away, but considering she was partially on top of the table, she didn't have any actual footing and went tumbling backwards completely. Peridot landed on her backside, smashing the back of her head on the disgusting linoleum while she was at it.

Tears began to well up in the corners of her eyes, and she sat up enough to rub the back of her head with a wince. Suddenly the younger of the two flared up with anger, her narrowed gaze landing on the brute who was hovering over the table to stare at the damage she had done. Despite Peridot's blurry gaze from the tears that she opted to ignore, she managed to raise her voice, albeit a tad shaky, "What the _hell_ , Jasper! That hurt, you stupid clod! Why would you push me like that?" The blonde slowly got up, using the bench of the table as support. Once standing, she clenched both of her hands into fists. Without another word, Peridot grabbed her book from off the table and pushed the yogurt cup closer to the brutish girl, who was stunned into silence from the outburst. Peridot continued to snatch her lunchbox up, making sure to leave the plastic spoon for the yogurt, and then picked up her book bag. With one final glare, the blonde quickly exited the lunchroom and made her way to the nurse to get her head checked out. She also wanted something for the headache that she felt coming on.

The remainder of the day Peridot was able to avoid Jasper, which wasn't a hard task when they didn't share any classes. However, when the final bell rang and they were released for the day, the blonde's luck of avoidance ran out. Jasper was waiting near Peridot's locker, and upon seeing that, the blonde backpedaled and decided that she would just take her math book home that day.

Peridot was expecting the worst when it came to meeting Jasper again. Standing up for oneself had consequence most of the time, and the blonde was afraid that the brute would lash out when they met again. Unfortunately for Peridot, using the 'safety in numbers' tactic wasn't an option considering she had no friends, and simply talking to Jasper was the last thing she would expect to work. That left avoidance, a plan that she had already put into action. It worked exceptionally well, too, until the end of the week came and Peridot found herself face-to-face with the person she had been strategically avoiding for three days.

"Peridot," The deeper voice of the brute hollered, causing the girl in question to flinch and quicken her pace. This apparently only angered Jasper, who wasn't giving up so easily, "You better stop, Runt! I just want to talk."

"No you don't! You want to kick my ass, I know you do," Peridot yelled back over her shoulder, continuing on her way. Jasper had chosen after school to confront the blonde, so Peridot had been casually walking from the school and toward her house, which was conveniently a short walk so she didn't have to deal with the buses, when Jasper struck.

"Seriously, Peridot, I just want to talk with you."

Jasper sounded closer now, which made the smaller of the two break out into a full on sprint. "No, no, no, no, no! _I_ don't want to talk, so go away and stop following me."

However, Peridot didn't get far. One of Jasper's massive hands clamped down on the strap of her over-the-shoulder book bag and pulled her backwards, causing Peridot to lose her footing and go crashing into the brute, who simply held her in place so she wouldn't get hurt.

The blonde started thrashing, trying to fight off the bigger girl and keep her bag at the same time, but Jasper had released her hold and held her hands up in defense. Seeing this action made Peridot calm her flailing, breathing heavily as she eyed the other girl suspiciously.

Peridot huffed, adjusting her book bag and her hoodie as she took a couple of steps away from her newfound companion. "Fine," She spat, "What do you want to talk about?"

Jasper scratched the back of her neck, turning her gaze to the grass that they were standing on. She mumbled something that Peridot couldn't quite make out.

"Why did you hunt me down if you were just going to talk to the grass?"

"Shut it," Jasper clenched her hands into fists and psyched her out by thrusting her upper half at Peridot threateningly, who flinched. She tried again and said more clearly, "I'm sorry about the other day at lunch." When the blonde didn't respond to that, Jasper continued, "I shouldn't have taken your book, and I shouldn't have pushed you down like I did."

"Did you at least eat the yogurt?"

"What?"

Peridot narrowed her gaze, "Did you eat the yogurt?"

"That's what you're worried about?" Jasper's mouth hung open for a moment.

"Catching flies?" Peridot smirked, which caused the bigger girl to growl. "And yes. Key lime is my favorite flavor and that was my last one. If you wasted it then I'll _really_ have an issue with you, you brutish clod."

After a painstakingly long minute passed between them, Jasper broke out into a fit of laughter. She continued to laugh, making Peridot feel rather uncomfortable, until she wiped a tear from her eye and grinned, "Yeah I ate it. I didn't like it though."

Peridot was dumbstruck, "You didn't like it."

Jasper shook her head, her long ponytail dancing behind her head.

"Then why did you eat it?" Peridot spoke slowly, still flabbergasted by what she had heard.

"Uhm, because it was there? How is it that you would be mad if I didn't eat it, but now that I admit that I did but didn't like it you're mad anyway?"

"Because regardless of the outcome it was wasted, and it's all your fault. You owe me a yogurt now."

"No I don't! You willingly gave it to me."

" _After_ you stole my book. I was using it as a bargaining chip."

Jasper growled, "Who cares about some stupid yogurt. I just wanted to apologize."

The change of tone made Peridot flinch, but she quickly recovered and adjusted her glasses, "Fine. I accept your apology. Are we done here?"

Jasper huffed and crossed her arms, but she made no motion of turning around to head back to the buses.

Peridot peered around the brute, taking note at how they were a fair distance from the school but still had a clear view of the parking lots. The most prominent fact that she saw was that there weren't any buses left and most of the cars had driven away. She looked back to Jasper with uncertainty, "You missed your ride."

"Uh huh. I figured that."

"Did you do that on purpose?" Peridot shifted her bag on her shoulder and stared at her companion. "Regardless, what now?"

Jasper simply shrugged and thought long and hard for a moment before saying, "Well I can't walk home. I live across town. I take it you live close?"

Peridot hesitated but eventually nodded her head, "Yeah. You can call your parents or something to pick you up."

Jasper scoffed, "You made me miss my ride. The least you can do is offer me a replacement."

" _I_ made you miss your ride? Uhm, excuse me, but I didn't make you run after me just to talk. In fact, I didn't _want_ to talk, _you_ did." Peridot crossed her arms and turned away, briskly walking away from the agitated brute of a seventh grader.

"Well you can't just leave me here, runt!"

"Yes I can," The blonde called back, waving a hand in dismissal.

Loud footsteps met Peridot's ears next, and suddenly Jasper was at her side walking quietly. She decided not to comment on the fact that unexpectedly she was forced to continue dealing with Jasper. She didn't ask her tall companion to skip the buses just to talk to her. In fact, Peridot would have quite happen if the brute had left on a bus rather than hunt her down.

Regardless of what had happened, the two made it to the blonde's home without any words shared between them.

Peridot lived in a nice home, but it wasn't a mansion. Her aunt may have had money from owning her own company, Diamond Inc., but that didn't mean that she wasted it on frivolous things. They lived close to the school, which was done on purpose by her aunt to ensure that Peridot could make it to and from her education with no excuses. This included not having her aunt involved with matters such as driving her to and from or picking her up in case she missed the bus. The house was big enough to house a typical family of four or five.

Within ten minutes, they were walking up the steps of the porch, Peridot fishing out her keys, and then entering the home. It was tastefully decorated, but overall rather plain. The main color scheme of the entire house was yellow, from pale to vibrant, except for Peridot's room and bathroom. Those were her spaces to do what she pleased, much to Peridot's surprise. Most of the time her aunt tried to boss her around, but it didn't get her far whenever she did that. Peridot was a smart girl. She knew what was important, such as the rights from the wrongs, despite her being so young.

"Holy shit, Peridot. This is your home?" Jasper threw her bag down near the door and helped herself to looking around. The only pictures on the walls were of landscapes, cityscapes, or paintings by famous artists. Fake flowers decorated vases all around the rooms, and crystal pieces joined them. The brute was looking at one of the crystal candleholders on a short bookshelf, not touching it much to Peridot's relief, when the blonde chuckled behind her.

"No, you clod, I brought you to a strangers house," Peridot kept her bag on her shoulder and continued through the foyer and the living room until she started up the staircase. Jasper followed quickly, every so often stopping to look at something that caught her eye, but eventually they made it to Peridot's room.

Her room, compared to the rest of the house, actually appeared inhabited. Clothing was scattered on the floor, and papers ranging from notes to doodles were everywhere from on the desk to the full sized bed near the window. A small television set was at the foot of the bed against the same wall as the door, and a towering bookshelf was situated to the right of it, closer to the closet. Only a few posters were neatly hung up on the pastel green walls, but for the most part the walls were barren. The desk, however, was the messiest part of the entire room. It was also the location of Peridot's book bag, which she quickly deposited on the desk surface before taking a seat on the black swivel chair.

"Nice room," Jasper helped herself to sitting on the bed, looking at the blonde near the desk.

"Thanks," was Peridot's simple reply as she leaned one elbow on the wooden desk and stared at her brutish companion. "So are you gonna call for a ride?"

"You got a phone?" Jasper retorted, crossing her arms.

"You don't?" Peridot's eyebrows nearly shot straight into her hairline as she grabbed a landline off her desk and tossed it to the other girl.

Jasper caught it and shook her head, "Can't afford it." She dialed and held the phone to her ear. Both parties waited for a response, but eventually the phone went to voicemail and Jasper grumbled in annoyance. She hung up and dialed again, only this time after waiting for a brief moment she got a response.

"Mom. Can you come and pick me up?" Jasper fell quiet as her mother responded to her. "No. I'm at a, uh, friend's house."

Peridot raised her eyebrows at the use of the word friend, but didn't say anything.

"I missed the bus, and what do you mean? Don't you get off work at five?" Jasper's free hand, which rested on her lap, clenched into a sudden fist. "That asshole didn't answer." The brute growled, irritation evident on her features, and she said a snappish goodbye to her mother and hung up the phone. "Worthless," she grumbled, handing the device back to the blonde, who quickly took it and returned it to its dock.

"No luck?"

"None."

Peridot chewed on her lower lip, and then stood after a moment, "Hungry?"

"Uh, sure?" Jasper mimicked the shorter girl and stood, and then followed when she was motioned out of the room and back down the stairs.

"My aunt should be home in a few hours. I'll ask if she can take you home." Peridot entered the kitchen, which was mostly white with yellow accents and stainless steel everything, and pulled open the refrigerator. "Soda?" She looked back at her companion, who shrugged and sat down at the table.

It was odd seeing her bully sitting in her house, and it was even stranger that they were being friendly. It was strange to think that her book caused all of this.

She put two sodas and two cups of yogurt down on the table before moving to retrieve a bag of chips and some spoons. When she returned, she sat across from Jasper and cracked open her soda can, taking a sip, and then peeling off the lid to her vanilla flavored yogurt cup, which she proceeded to lick clean.

"Thanks," the brute said quietly, staring at Peridot briefly before flicking her glance to the yogurt. She used to other hand to quickly stuff her face full of chips instead, chewing obnoxiously much to Peridot's distaste.

"You're welcome," The blonde said dully, taking another swig of her cola before carefully putting the can back down and picking up one of the spoons.

For the next few hours the duo talked, and eventually they moved from the kitchen and back up to Peridot's room, where they played on the blonde's only gaming console. Peridot was actually having a good time, and it appeared that Jasper was as well regardless of the reason they were brought together that day.

When Peridot's aunt came home, the blonde told the brute to stay there and quickly headed downstairs.

"Aunt Nora?" Peridot slowly descended the stairs, seeing her aunt's coat hanging by the door. She headed into the kitchen and saw her standing near the table, purse resting on the surface and eyes glued to her cell phone. She looked up when she heard Peridot speak her name again.

"Oh, Peridot," she put her phone down and turned to face the other, one hand resting on her hip. "How was your school day?" The question was asked like it was rehearsed, but Peridot already knew that her aunt was uninterested in most anything she did unless it was her succeeding. Any mistakes were not tolerated.

"It was, uhm, interesting. I was wondering if you could give my friend a ride home? She missed the bus and her parents can't pick her up." Peridot couldn't help but feel nervous around her aunt. Nora was a towering height, and her expression was a constant look of disapproval and disgust no matter who she was looking at or talking too. Her blonde hair was never out of place from its carefully sculpted pixie cut, and her voice was constantly stern despite who she might have been speaking with.

A look of annoyance flashed over Nora's face, as if by Peridot asking for a favor was such a huge inconvenience for her. However, she sighed inwardly and picked up her purse, exiting the kitchen and heading for the front door, "You have five minutes to meet me outside or I change my mind. You're just lucky that I'm feeling generous today. I also don't want company staying for dinner."

Peridot grinned despite the rudeness from her aunt and bolted for her room, pushing the door open, "She said yes! Let's go."

Jasper jumped from the sudden voice, and she put the book she had been looking at back on the shelf. She followed Peridot out of her room, down the stairs, and to the front door. She picked up her bag and exited the house, but before they headed for the car, Jasper stopped Peridot.

"Hey, uhm, you're not so bad, nerd. I had fun today," Jasper punched the smaller girl on the arm.

Peridot winced from the punch, rubbing the place where the other's fist made contact. She chuckled nervously, "You're not so bad yourself, you clod."

. . .

* * *

. . .

 **Author's Notes:** As requested, here is how Peridot and Jasper became friends. I added in a tiny bit about Jasper's family and of course Peridot's relationship with her aunt, Nora Diamond.

Updates might be slow from here on out for a number of reasons. One of those reasons is that I'm trying to focus on writing one of my original stories that I started years ago but never finished. I want to get it published! But, of course, when I need a break from that I'll work on some stories for this.

Anyone else have any requests on what they would like to read about next? I could use some ideas.

As usual, thanks for reading!


	6. Energy Drinks

**Energy Drinks**

* * *

"I knew that I shouldn't have let you go out that late. I'm an idiot. _You're_ an idiot. Look at you," Jasper yelled angrily with a gesture of her hands, which given a different situation would have caused the smaller of the two to flinch, but Peridot laughed instead.

"Why are you laughing?" Jasper's voice held a dangerous tone, but Peridot continued to laugh despite the pain it caused in her abdomen.

"I'm alive, you clod."

"You're not going to be soon if you don't stop your laughing. Do you even realize how bad you scared me? When I got that phone call—" Jasper cut herself off. The brute of a woman wasn't one to show much emotion, other than anger and the occasional humor, so seeing her choked up about this made Peridot shut her mouth immediately.

"I'm sorry, Jasper."

"You better be," The large woman wiped her eyes, roughly disposing of any tears. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm in immense pain," Peridot frowned, attempting to sit up.

Jasper helped her by grabbing a pillow off the unoccupied bed in the room and put it behind the blonde.

Peridot leaned back and smiled in thanks at the bigger woman, and then she grew quiet, "So, uhm, what's the damage?" She remembered being in her car, driving the back way to the closest gas station late at night to get her fix of energy drinks. Her radio malfunctioned about halfway there, and she tried to fix it while driving, but in her momentary lack of complete focus she failed to see the turn and thus took it too sharply. Her tires caught on loose gravel and she lost control of her vehicle. The dark ditch on the other side of the road greeted her, and she remembered little after that.

Jasper frowned and motioned toward the blonde's legs, "Other than taking a serious beating and being bruised all over, the doctor's had to amputate a leg. Apparently it got pinned."

"Amputate?" Peridot repeated slowly, tasting the word on her tongue and realizing just how bitter it was. She sunk further back into her pillows, her brain not able to comprehend what her friend told her. Suddenly everything felt weird to her, like it was put into slow motion except for her thoughts, which were quickly gaining pace and running too fast for her understand anything. She squeezed her eyes shut and willed herself to calm down. Panicking wasn't going to help her at the moment, but saying and doing were two different things.

A sudden hand on her shoulder and a gentle shake caused Peridot to reopen her eyes and look up, seeing Jasper with a worried expression. "Hey, it'll be okay. You want something to drink? Eat? I'll go get us something."

"Cheeseburger."

"What?" Jasper raised an eyebrow.

"I want a cheeseburger and a soda. With a large fry. I'm sad and I need unhealthy food to make me feel better." Peridot stated dryly.

Jasper simply nodded and gave her friend a pat on the shoulder before heading for the door. "You got it, Peri. I'll be back in thirty. Not sure how the nurses will handle that, I don't know hospital protocol, but I'll smuggle it in if I have to."

Peridot continued to stare at the door even when her friend was long gone. She wasn't sure how to feel right then, everything was coming at her full force, and she barely noticed when she started to tear up. She supposed her feelings were a mix between fear that she had almost died and immense sadness because she lost a piece of herself.

When Jasper returned approximately ten minutes sooner than expected, Peridot focused on blocking out the current situation and simply enjoying the company while it lasted.

* * *

. . .

* * *

 **Author's Notes: Short chapter this time! This one just didn't need to be a long one, you know? I need some more ideas though if anyone would like to request some? **

**Anyway, progress on my original novel is moving along at a snail pace. I know what I** _ **want**_ **to write, but I'm having a difficult time actually writing it haha Kind of like this story . . .**

 **So this chapter explains how Peridot lost her leg. That's all, really. Nothing else other than a supportive Jasper.**

 **Enjoy!**


	7. Coloring Books

**Coloring Books**

* * *

"Peridot."

 _Thump!_

The blonde in question hissed in pain as her left hand smacked the underside of the table. She turned her head toward the speaker with her eyebrows narrowed in annoyance.

Garnet hovered above her, one hand resting on the back of the dining room chair the blonde sat on.

Peridot gulped, rubbing at her injured hand. She offered a nervous smile, "Yeah?"

"I need to ask you for an important favor," The tall woman pulled out a chair across from Peridot and sat, staring at the blonde intently. Her right elbow rested on the table as her other arm remained on her lap.

Under the intimidating gaze of Garnet, Peridot shrunk into her chair and chewed her lower lip, "Okay. Shoot."

"Could you babysit tomorrow?"

The blonde furrowed her eyebrows. She often forgot that Garnet was a mother. They only ever met at parties and weren't close enough to know about one another's personal lives. However, she could recall that Garnet never stayed long at any gathering, which she now assumed was due to her children.

"I know that I'm a last resort," Peridot raised one eyebrow.

Garnet sighed, "My usual babysitter can't cover tomorrow, and neither can my second choice. No one else I trust well enough."

Peridot's eyes grew wide, "Wait, hold on. I—" She licked her lips, choosing her words carefully, "You trust me enough to watch your kids? What about Onyx? Or Amethyst? Or Jasper? Or Lazuli?"

"Do you even realize who you just listed? Excluding Lapis, of course," Garnet laughed, shaking her head. The smile she wore touched her eyes, "I want you, Peridot."

The blonde's cheeks warmed as she laughed softly, "Point taken. I especially can't imagine Jasper babysitting. I don't think I've met your kids before though."

"You haven't. You'll get along though, I know it." Garnet stood and put a hand on Peridot's shoulder, smiling. "Thank you."

Peridot nodded her head, and then she furrowed her brows, "How did you know I had tomorrow free?"

Garnet winked and handed her a slip of paper, "Is five okay?"

"In the morning?" The blonde screeched, eyes going huge.

The tall woman chuckled, "In the evening."

"Oh," Peridot's cheeks flushed and she quickly nodded her head, "Yeah, that's fine."

"Good. Thank you again, Peridot," Garnet smiled, and then she disappeared from view.

Peridot looked at the paper in her hand, unfolding it until an address showed. She had never been to Garnet's house before either.

The next day the nerves hit Peridot hard. She had never babysat before, and frankly she was extremely awkward around children. It didn't help that she had never met Garnet's kids, so she didn't have any clue what she was in for other than they were both eight years old.

Peridot killed time playing video games and doodling until the clock struck four in the afternoon. She packed a backpack and changed out of her pajamas and into a plain hoodie and skinny jeans. She made her way out of her shared apartment with Jasper, who had long since left for work much to Peridot's luck, and down to her vehicle.

The car ride to Garnet's place was a short one, and Peridot pulled up to the small house within minutes thanks to the help of her GPS.

Garnet lived in the so-so part of town, not exactly safe but not exactly dangerous. The small house stood out amongst the unkempt plant life of the front lawn, and the close proximity of the neighboring houses gave it a squished appearance.

Peridot slipped out of her car and headed for the front door. She knocked only once before the door opened and a small child greeted her.

The small child glared at the blonde for a moment before she called into the house, "Mom! There's a lady at the door."

Peridot heard Garnet's reply from deep in the house, "Let her in!"

The child grumbled and stepped aside, allowing Peridot access.

The blonde entered timidly, offering a nervous smile at the apparently angry eight year old girl. Her hair, cut short around her jawline, curled in complete disorder and framed her young face. Her eyes remained narrowed as she walked into the living room, which was immediately to the right upon entering the home.

Peridot followed, spotting another young girl sitting on the couch. However, her hair was long and moderately curly, bangs covering one eye entirely, and she had a curious look on her face.

"You must be the babysitter," The nicer child spoke.

Her sister sat beside her, crossing her arms, "I don't like her."

"And how do you know that? You only just met her, Ruby," The longhaired girl slapped her sister on the arm, earning a look of disapproval from their mother who entered the room.

"Don't say things you don't mean, Ruby," Garnet turned her attention to the blonde, "Peridot, thank you." She handed her a slip of paper, "Phone numbers. Call if something happens. There's food in the fridge for dinner, and they're allowed dessert but only some. No seconds," She paused to give the shorthaired brunette a careful glance, "I should be back around ten. Short shift." The tall woman smiled and maneuvered to the couch where her children sat, "Sapphire," She gestured toward the girl with long hair, "Ruby. I'd like you to meet Peridot. She's a friend of mine, so behave for her." She mused Ruby's hair and squeezed Sapphire on the shoulder. Before she parted she formed her hands into a heart shape and smiled, "Be back soon."

On her way to the front door, she nodded at Peridot, "I'll be back before you know it. Oh, and don't mind Ruby. She'll come off as abrasive at first but she'll warm up to you, I promise. Sapphire seems to like you already." She offered a kind smile and left quietly.

The moment the front door closed and their mother was gone, both children sprung up from the couch.

Sapphire grabbed Peridot's hand, looking up at her curiously, "How old are you?"

"How do you know our mom?" Ruby crossed her arms and gave the blonde a narrowed glance.

"How did you guys meet?"

"How come we've never seen you before?"

"Do you go to school?"

"Why do you paint your nails?"

"Are you friends with Pearl and Amethyst too?"

"Do you have a job?"

"Do you like books?"

"Do you like video games?"

"Whoa, whoa, slow down there, you guys," Peridot laughed nervously. She never thought it possible to feel overwhelmed by a few twerps, but the starting tendrils of a headache were beginning to form from all their questions. "I'm not close friends with your mom. We don't talk a whole lot and I rarely see her. She's nice though. Pearl and Amethyst are in the same boat." The blonde shrugged, just now noticing that the longhaired brunette was still holding her hand. "No, I don't go to school, and yes I do have a job and like books and video games."

"You like fighting games?" Ruby raised a single eyebrow, giving Peridot a rather intimidating look like their mother usually did.

"They're okay. Are you two twins?"

The children nodded their heads, "Yup."

"Huh," Peridot briefly rubbed at the back of her neck.

"Wanna play a fighting game?" Ruby took hold of Peridot's other hand and started dragging the blonde toward the TV. "Mom doesn't let us play a lot usually, but you're here so I think it's okay."

Peridot chuckled and sat on the couch once Ruby released her hold. Sapphire had released her other hand and sat next to her while her sister set up the gaming console.

"Where do you work?" Sapphire crossed her legs on the couch and watched the TV screen as the game loaded.

"Cosmic Tattoos and Piercings."

Sapphire's eyes grew wide, her head swiveling toward her sister, "Ruby, isn't that where Rose—"

"You know Rose?" Peridot interrupted and raised an eyebrow, accepting the controller from the shorthaired brunette, who nodded her head.

"Yeah, Mom and Rose are really good friends."

"You didn't know that?" The longhaired brunette tilted her head.

Peridot shrugged, "Maybe? Someone probably told me but I don't pay all that much attention. Besides, I told you guys that I'm not that close with your mom. I'm not really close with Rose either, for that matter, although she does give some awesome advice just like your mom."

Ruby suddenly jerked a finger toward the screen, pointing at a buff man whose shirtsleeves appeared torn off, "You can't be him. I'm always him."

The blonde laughed, "Okay, okay. I'll be—" She chewed her lower lip as she danced through the character list before finally landing on a scantily clad woman who had two buns on her head and used her fists to fight, "Her."

They played the game for about an hour until Ruby grew tired of losing and Sapphire started complaining about being hungry, so Peridot investigated the contents of the refrigerator for dinner. They ended up having peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and then cookies for dessert. Afterwards, Peridot wasn't sure what to do until she remembered what she brought with her.

"You guys like to color?" She picked up her bag from near the door and rested it on the kitchen table.

"It's okay," Ruby crossed her arms.

Sapphire grinned, "I love to color."

Peridot slapped several coloring books down on the table, "Take your pick then." She proceeded to remove several packs of crayons and colored pencils, "And choose your weapon while you're at it."

Sapphire chose a book filled with mythical creatures, armed with colored pencils, whereas Ruby picked the book with dinosaurs and armed herself with a box of crayons. Peridot smiled as she picked up the princess coloring book and a set of colored pencils. As she flipped through the pages, she came across an already colored page. She laughed softly from the memory, which caused both children to look up.

"What's so funny?" Ruby narrowed her eyes.

"Oh, that's pretty! Did you color that?" Sapphire's curious eyes flooded the open page. A princess in a seafoam dress danced in a ballroom setting, her purple hair up but with loose strands framing her smiling face. Only the princess held color. The background remained black and white.

Peridot smiled and shook her head, "No, my girlfriend did that one."

"Girlfriend?" Ruby raised a single brow.

"Yeah," The blonde nodded.

"Mom has a girlfriend. Well, she _should_ have one," Sapphire opened up her own coloring book and removed a red pencil from the box. She began coloring in the mane of a unicorn.

"And if she _should_ have one, who do you think that should be?" Peridot raised an eyebrow, flipping through her book to an uncolored page. This time a princess was sitting on a swing in a garden with too much flora and fauna surrounding her.

"Pearl," Ruby answered, causing Peridot to snap her head in her direction.

"Pearl?"

"Yup, she babysits all the time and I know she likes Mom," The longhaired brunette grabbed a blue pencil this time and started coloring behind the unicorn.

"I thought Pearl liked Rose?" Peridot frowned, and then realized that she probably shouldn't be discussing this with two eight year olds.

"Yeah, but Rose is married to Greg," Ruby rolled her eyes.

"She's off limits now," Sapphire added with a shrug. "I think Mom and Pearl would be good for each other though."

Peridot hummed but let the conversation drop. She didn't hang around Pearl and Garnet enough to know things like this, and she only saw Rose while at work. Her main scene included Jasper and Lapis. Peridot had a hard time trusting anyone, but Garnet steadily made her way up the trust ladder, along with Pearl and Amethyst despite how often she hung with them. She would have to start making more of an effort to befriend them.

The remainder of the evening they spent coloring at the table with little chatter, and before anyone knew it Garnet had returned. She held two plastic bags in one hand and her keys in the other. She smiled at the group still sitting at the kitchen table, "Hello."

"Mom!" Both children pushed off from the table and ran to Garnet, tugging on her.

Garnet laughed and set the bags down on the table, hugging Ruby and Sapphire. "I trust everything went well?"

Peridot gave the tall woman a thumbs up before she started packing the coloring books and utensils back into her pack.

"Thank you again, Peridot. I hope they behaved for you."

The blonde rubbed at the back of her neck, "Yeah, they were great. We mostly played video games and colored."

Garnet smiled and walked her to the door, retrieving her wallet from her back pocket, "Would you be willing to babysit again in the future?"

"Of course. That is, whenever Pearl isn't able to cover, right?" Peridot smiled and winked. When Garnet tried to hand her a twenty-dollar bill the blonde shook her head and held her hands out in defense, "Keep it. I was just helping a friend. I don't need to be paid for that."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive," Peridot continued to smile as she exited the house before Garnet could attempt to pay her again. As she walked to her car, she cast a final glance over her shoulder and waved lazily with one hand, "Goodnight, Garnet."

"Goodnight, Peridot."

. . .

* * *

. . .

 **Author's Notes:** Phew! This actually started out as a chapter solely about Pearl babysitting for Garnet, but then I thought, "What if Peridot babysat instead?" In the show, Garnet and Peridot start getting along after the whole fusion thing and they start to understand each other, so I wanted to convey some of that here and show some of their relationship. Garnet trusts Peridot, and Peridot is trying to connect with more people and make friends other than just Jasper, and now Lapis of course.

Peridot is the focus of this story, her and Lapis anyway, so I like to show the side characters with the help of those two. However, I do plan to have some chapters _just_ about a few of the side characters. I also have plans on writing about Lapis' backstory and Peridot getting her prosthetic. I actually have quite a few ideas for future chapters. If you visit my DeviantArt page you can see artwork and even some ideas regarding this story! Pay a visit if you're interested :)

"Coloring Books" fits in right after "Missing Information," so about ten months after "Bad Habits" and one month after "Missing Information."

Also, while I was writing out some development for this story the idea came to me regarding Ruby and Sapphire. At first I had no idea if I was going to include them, I hadn't planned on it, but then it hit me like a brick to the face and I rolled with it. Children are also extremely insightful and retain information that we don't always realize, which is why I have them as conduits for gossip regarding their mother's personal business (Pearl and Rose). Yes, I kept Pearl pining after Rose until she married Greg, now they're just friends, and yes she pines after Garnet out of respect and because she's a strong woman. She always secretly liked Garnet anyway, just she liked Rose too and she was single at the time until Greg ruined it. I like to keep things close to the show but also branch out when necessary, you know?

Hope you guys enjoyed!


	8. Ocean: Part 1

**Ocean: Part 1**

* * *

"I can't stand the feeling of sand between my toes."

"What? No way, it feels amazing! Especially when you bury them _into_ the sand and it's warm." Lapis laughed, soft and fleeting like the breeze.

Peridot grumbled, "It feels gross, especially wet sand. I don't even like going barefoot around the house, let alone outside. The sand just makes it worse, and it gets _everywhere_. In your shoes, your socks, your clothes. The worst is when it gets into the joints of my prosthetic, and what if I step on a piece of glass or a nail or something with my organic foot?"

"You'd still most likely get cut or stabbed even if you had socks on, Peri, and you can't wear shoes on the beach. Where's the fun in that?" The brunette looped her arm through Peridot's, "Lighten up. Your foot will be fine being bare out here. The beach is clean, I promise, and you don't seem too worried about getting sand in your prosthetic. You're wearing shorts."

"I'm only wearing shorts because one, I'm comfortable around you, and two, I'm testing out a new model of my leg. It's waterproof and doesn't have as many joints as my normal prosthetic." The blonde raised an eyebrow, "And how do you know the beach is so clean?"

"Because I clean it for the most part, duh. Especially after parties. Our friends are messy." Lapis led Peridot to the same rock they had sat on the night they met. She took a seat and patted beside her, eyes dancing over the new limb that the blonde wore. The foot of the prosthetic was a curved bar instead of the usual end that resembled an actual foot. "When did you get that one?"

Peridot sat and crossed her organic leg in front of her, letting her prosthetic hang off the edge of the rock. She leaned her elbows on her knees as she watched the ocean lap at the shore. When Lapis spoke, she focused her attention on her girlfriend instead, "A week ago. My aunt brought it down. I asked her to make me a waterproof and sandproof model so I could go on the beach like a normal person without having to worry. It's kind of hard to walk with though, but sand just sucks for walking even with two feet."

Lapis chuckled, "That's for sure, but it helps when you're feet are bare." She smirked, "I'm glad to hear that she made you another model though. Are you still using your old one?"

"Of course. This one here is just so I don't have to fret about getting sand stuck in it and then dealing with an irate aunt because now she has to fix it. If you remember the night we met when I had to change pants? And then once I borrowed your sweatpants I tucked them into my combat boots? Yeah, that was me taking extra precaution." Peridot laughed, resting her chin on one of her hands as she smiled at her companion. "Now I shouldn't have to worry."

"So I see that you're starting a limb collection then," The brunette winked, nudging Peridot in the shoulder.

"As long as I don't start collecting limbs that don't belong to me then my collection is perfectly legal," The blonde grinned, and then turned her gaze to the water. She furrowed her brows, "Why do you like the ocean so much? I mean, it's beginning to grow on me because of you, but what draws you to it?"

Lapis didn't answer for a long moment, which caused the blonde to look at her with a brow raised. However, before she could say something, Lapis spoke, "I don't know. It reminds me of home, of my family and old life, but at the same time it brings bad memories, you know?"

"Home?"

"Hawaii."

"You're from Hawaii?" Peridot's eyes grew wide.

"I thought I told you this already," The brunette laughed, shaking her head. "I bet you forgot, but yeah, I was born on Hawaii and moved here when I was, like, seven or something. I lost my mother a year later, and then my father a few months after that. I lived with my grandparents until I was old enough to be on my own, and then they gave me this place and I moved to Beach City. I've been here since. I used to want to move back home, to Hawaii, but this place has grown on me. I suppose it's my home now."

Peridot hummed, soaking in the information before asking, "So what gave you bad memories with the water?"

"I almost drowned once. I was ten or so and went too far out into the ocean. Ever since then, even to this day, you won't see me get deeper than my ankles in the water. I just can't do it. I love the water though. Something about it draws me in." Lapis gazed out at the horizon, a soft smile on her face that even reached her eyes.

"Huh. I don't feel any connection with the ocean. It's pretty, but no thanks. I'd rather stay dry and on land." Peridot followed Lapis' gaze with a frown.

"Where did you grow up, Peridot?"

"Huh?" The blonde turned her head, staring at Lapis with wide eyes.

"Where did you grow up? Here?"

Peridot shrugged, "Kind of? I was born somewhere up north, and then moved in with my aunt when I was five after my parents passed away. She lived here, in Beach City, and I've been here since. When I moved out she packed up and moved to Empire City, where she established her headquarters."

"Where did you go when you moved out?"

"My apartment right now, actually. Jasper and I picked it out and blam," Peridot made a sound effect and moved her hands to mimic an explosion, "Here we are."

Lapis snorted, "How old were you then?"

"Nineteen. I've been living in that same apartment for five or so years now."

"Jeeze. That's a long time living in such a cramped space. At least you and Jasper get along. It must be nice having a friend like her."

Peridot frowned, "A friend like her? You know how we met, right? She bullied me. She stole my book and teased me. When I fought back I was terrified for my life, so I avoided her. One day my luck ran out and she chased me down. Next thing I know I'm taking her home with me because she missed the bus, and I actually realized that she was a cool person. Rude and too large for a girl her age, but cool nonetheless. Her family was crap though, still is, so I kind of accepted her into my tiny family. My aunt was even okay with her. I think my aunt actually _likes_ her, so that made me feel better. My aunt doesn't like anyone."

"Will I ever get to meet your aunt?"

Peridot's frown deepened, and she was quiet for a long minute. "Maybe. Yeah. Next time she comes down I suppose I could set something up. She doesn't know that you and I are dating. I never told her even though it's been like ten months now. We don't talk a lot though."

Lapis hummed, not at all perturbed, "I would still like to meet her. And Jasper may have been a jerk at the beginning, but she's a great friend now. She told me how she took care of you after your accident, how she was worried sick and mad at herself for letting something like that happen to you."

"It wasn't her fault. It was mine." Peridot shook her head, "Anyway." She attempted to change the subject, but she wasn't sure where to go from there.

Lapis remained quiet as well, accepting the lack of conversation and opting to listen to the ocean instead.

However, the next words to leave her girlfriend's mouth stunned Peridot.

"W-what?" The blonde nearly shouted, but Lapis kept her cool.

"Move in with me."

A billion thoughts bounced around Peridot's skull, but none of them she comprehended enough to form into a sentence.

"You just said that you've been living in the same apartment for five or so years. I also seem to recall that you called it cramped and claustrophobic at times. Also, if you don't remember, my house is like four times the size of your little apartment. Jasper could move in too. She could take the other side of the house and we wouldn't even know she was there, you know?" Lapis adjusted her position, crossing her legs and resting a hand on Peridot's right knee. "We've been together for ten months. We've known each other for over a year now. I understand if you say no, but think about it, okay?" Lapis smiled, and then leaned in and pressed her lips against Peridot's cheek. "I won't be mad if you say no. I just want you to be happy."

The blonde's cheeks flushed as she quickly darted her gaze to the ocean.

After a few more minutes of silence, Lapis rose to her feet and helped Peridot up. "It's getting late. Are you hungry?"

"Yeah, I could be."

"Pizza?" Lapis smiled, intertwining their fingers as they walked back to her house.

Peridot nodded, giving Lapis' hand a squeeze, "Pizza."

The remainder of the night was enjoyable. They ate pizza, watched a B-level horror movie, and then parted ways around midnight. Lapis tried to get Peridot to stay the night to avoid driving so late, but the blonde insisted she needed to get home. She needed to collect her thoughts and talk to Jasper.

Peridot drove carefully and texted Lapis when she arrived home to ensure her that she made it safely, and much to the blonde's luck her roommate was home and awake. However, Jasper had company over.

"Hey, runt!" Jasper laughed loudly, motioning her over. "Did you have a good time with your lady?" The brute of a woman winked and crossed her legs so an ankle rested on her knee.

Malachite was the company Jasper held, which wasn't so bad. Although too obnoxious, Malachite was someone who Peridot felt mostly comfortable around; although, she suddenly realized how exposed her new prosthetic was.

"Lookin' good there, Peri," Malachite grinned, leaning her elbow on the arm of the couch as her eyes danced the blonde over. "I _never_ see you in shorts."

The blonde rolled her eyes and disappeared into her bedroom, choosing not to say anything toward the comment. She returned to the living room a few minutes later dressed in sweatpants and a plain T-shirt. She sat down on the recliner in the room, knowing better than to try and sit between Jasper and her cousin on the couch.

"Don't you work tomorrow, Jasper?" Peridot raised an eyebrow.

The larger woman shook her head, "Nope. Schedule changed last minute."

"Which is why I'm over," Malachite jerked a thumb toward herself with a large grin. "So you were with your girlfriend?"

Peridot nodded, "Uh huh."

"How was it?" Jasper smirked.

The blonde gave her friend an unamused look, "It was enjoyable. Like normal. But—" She cut herself off and chewed on her lower lip. She debated on saying anything while in the presence of Malachite, but technically she was family and she may or may not have good advice to add in. "I have to talk to you about something."

"Oooh," Malachite snickered, "Did the two of you finally do the dirty?"

Peridot's cheeks flushed, and she sent a glare toward the towhead, "None of your business."

"That just proves that you did," Malachite laughed loudly.

Peridot sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, being mindful of her lime green glasses. She ignored Malachite and focused on Jasper, giving her friend a serious look, "She asked me to move in with her."

A beat of silence passed between them before Jasper's jaw fell open, "Seriously?"

The blonde nodded, "She even invited you, if you'd want to."

"What did you say to her?" Mal jumped in, her previous jokester attitude disintegrating.

"Nothing. She told me to think about it and that she wouldn't be mad if I said no. I—" Peridot frowned, "I don't know what to do."

"Do you want to move in? Like, how do you feel?" Jasper adjusted her position, resting her elbows on her knees as she stared at Peridot.

"I really like Lapis, and we've been together for almost a year now, but—" The blonde shook her head, "I don't want to rush and ruin things, you know? What if we move in together and it's weird? Or we fight a lot or our personalities clash? What if—"

"No," Jasper said harshly, causing Peridot to cease her rambling. "If you feel it's rushed, then don't do it. If you feel like this is the right thing to do, or have a flicker of hope deep down that it'll be okay, then do it."

"What about her offer to you?" Peridot asked quietly.

"I'm fine staying in this place. If you want me to come with you I will. I mean, Lapis did offer and her place _is_ big enough, but I don't want to intrude. Do you really want your best friend living with you and your girlfriend? I'll miss you, don't get me wrong, but I think just you should go. Besides, that way if anything ever happens I'll be here for you. You can have your old room back, and even if you two fight you can stay here or just come over to spend the night every so often, you know?" Jasper stood up suddenly and closed the distance between herself and Peridot.

She held out a hand, which Peridot gingerly took. The brute of a woman pulled her up to her feet and hugged her, laughing, "I'm happy for you, Peridot. You have a girl who loves you, friends who love you, and a job I know you love. Things are looking up, you know?"

"Hey now, don't get sentimental on me, you brute," Peridot laughed with her and hugged her back, but just as quickly as the moment began it ended when Malachite chimed in her two cents.

"I never see my cousin get so touchy feely and emotional. What has Peridot done to you, Jasper?"

"Shut it," The bigger woman growled, releasing the blonde and resuming her earlier position on the couch.

Peridot sat back down herself, and the three of them chatted about miscellaneous topics for the remainder of the night until Peridot excused herself for bed.

She spent a lot of time thinking while lying in bed. She weighed the pros and cons of moving out of the apartment and in with Lapis. At least Jasper would be a backup plan just in case anything drastic happened, but she hoped that it wouldn't ever resort to that.

When the sun rose, Peridot had come to a decision. She called Lapis and immediately drove over there. She knocked and waited, and when the door opened, she wasted no time.

"I want to move in with you, Lapis."

. . .

* * *

. . .

 **Author's Notes:** Well, my goal was a long chapter that included Lapis' backstory, but that didn't quite happen. However, I did set the stage for that to happen soon, so either the next chapter or the one after that will include Lapis and her parents. I do mention more of her past, but I'll elaborate soon enough. However, we do get a little bit more information regarding Peridot and _her_ past, so there is always that.

I mention it in the story but this takes place fourteen months after "Bad Habits," when they first met, and ten months after "Girlfriends," when they started dating.

I wanted to do a bit more with Peridot and Lapis, mostly just to show their relationship and reveal more information about them, but at the same time I want to show some of the other characters. That's why I included Malachite. Her being there when Peridot reveals what happened shows that Peridot trusts her. I mean, she is Jasper's cousin, which makes her family. I like to use the main characters, mostly Peridot it seems to be completely honest, to reveal the other characters and how they behave.

On a side note, I've been posting some artwork on my DeviantArt page. So far I've got Jasper, Lapis, and a picture of Peridot and Lapis. I also have a Patre0n page (which I'm not sure this site likes because I can't spell it correctly without it being deleted, so I will only mention this once) where I've been posting a lot of art previews and chapter previews, and even never before seen sketches! I also post development ideas here and there regarding not only this story but my original works too! My username on there is the same as on here (HeroismInACan), so maybe go check it out? Any support would be greatly appreciated, and it would help me spend more time working on not only this story but all of my stories and my artwork too!

Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! The next one will probably be a continuation off this one so I can delve into Lapis' past, but we'll see. And, as usual, if there is any scene or character you'd like to see in particular please let me know and I'll add it to my list!


	9. Untold Lullabies

**Untold Lullabies**

* * *

"I want to have a baby."

Greg's head snapped upwards so fast he gave himself whiplash. "A what now?" He rubbed at his neck, putting down the magazine he had been looking at.

"A baby," Rose smiled, sitting softly beside Greg and taking one of his hands into her own. "I've been thinking about it for some time now, and I think I'm ready. _We're_ ready."

Greg gulped, using his free hand to run through his long brunet hair. He looked away from his wife and at the television set across from them. The screen was blank.

"Greg?"

"Huh?" The ex-rockstar, startled, turned his doe eyes upon the pink haired woman to his left. He started to chuckle, but his face took on a gentle smile, "I don't know, Rose. A child? Now?"

"What's wrong with now? We have a nice home with plenty of room, and a business that can support us. We're in a good place."

"I know, but—"

"You have doubts," His wife frowned, a look that didn't suit her. "Why?"

He sighed heavily, "A child is a big deal. It isn't like getting a puppy or a kitten. I—" He took a deep breath, "I want to make sure that we're for sure ready, and I mean mentally too not just financially and physically."

Rose nodded her head, pink curls bouncing, "Yes, I know, Greg. I think we're at that point now though. I feel we're ready. If we wait too much longer it'll be too late." She squeezed his hand and smiled reassuringly.

Greg took a deep breath and exhaled, closing his eyes. After a long moment, he nodded his head, "Okay. Let's have a baby, Rose."

The smile that spread on his wife's face caused one to form on his own face. His love for Rose ran deep. They met when they were in college, although he dropped out after the first year to pursue his career as a musician. Rose stayed enrolled and earned an associate's degree in business, which she later put to use when she and Greg purchased the tattoo parlor and opened shop. Greg's dream of being a famous rockstar fell short, but at least he was able to release two CDs and gain plenty of experiences first.

Rose leaned forward and planted a kiss on Greg's cheek, laughing lightly as she swiftly left the room.

Greg watched her go, grinning. His wife was a strange woman. She insisted that her hair remain a pastel pink despite the amount of work it took to keep it that way. At least it was a light blonde to start with, and when she decided to cut it shorter, dying it wasn't as much of a pain anymore. Regardless, the job was still tedious because her hair was curly and thick. On top of that and maintaining proper nail polish, she also had a problem when it came to owning plants. To put it simply, she hoarded them, and it didn't matter the type. He was lucky that they lived in a house and not an apartment, otherwise the garden she had in the backyard would have been an issue.

The remainder of the night was uneventful, and as the days passed they attempted what Rose wanted. She tracked her cycles and made sure that everything fell into its proper place, but even when months had passed, the couple had no luck.

Greg could tell that the lack of success was taking its toll on his wife, and he knew that other people were beginning to notice her dull exterior.

"Mrs. Universe?" Peridot raised an eyebrow, standing near her at the receptionist desk in the tattoo parlor.

"Hm? Oh, yes, Peridot?" Rose put on a smile and looked up at her present company.

"The phone was ringing."

"Was it? Shoot," Rose turned to grab the cordless device but noticed it was missing. "Where is it?"

Peridot extended her hand, the phone nestled in her palm, "It's Pearl."

Rose blushed out of embarrassment and took the phone, putting it to her ear, "Hello?"

Peridot frowned and moved away from the desk, eyebrows furrowed as Greg waved her over to his workstation.

"What's wrong with your wife?"

"That noticeable, huh?" Greg frowned, rubbing the back of his head. He put down his pencil with a loud sigh.

"Uh, yeah. The phone was ringing for like five minutes and all she did was stare at it."

"We're trying to have a baby," Greg said softly.

"A baby?" Peridot's voice raised, and the ex-rockstar quickly hushed her.

"Keep your voice down, will you? We've been trying but haven't had any luck. It's been _months_. I think she's depressed because of it." Greg sighed again, holding his head in his hands.

Peridot frowned at him, "Sorry to hear that?" She took a seat in the chair beside the desk, briefly glancing over her shoulder toward Rose. "Doesn't conceiving a baby take a while?"

"It can, I suppose, but it really depends," The ex-rockstar lifted his head and looked at the blonde.

"On what?"

"The couple. All of our bodies are different, so how we—wait, shouldn't you know this already, Peridot?"

The blonde shrugged, "I know the basic concept of childbirth, but I don't know the details. I've never tried, nor will I, so why should I bother with that sort of knowledge so young in my life? Besides, I'm kind of dating a girl. I don't have to worry about accidently getting pregnant. As long as I know about the functionality and safety of sex then I think pregnancy is kind of irrelevant to my current situation."

"Right," Greg raised an eyebrow, but decided it best not to continue with that conversation.

Peridot glanced at Rose again, "She's still talking with Pearl,"

"Pearl was on the phone?" Greg's head tilted to the side some.

"Yeah?" The blonde raised an eyebrow.

"Great," He sighed, closing his eyes and letting his head hang in defeat, "That's just who she needs to talk too. Pearl already doesn't like me very much. This won't help."

Peridot was quiet, and when Greg looked back up he saw her looking at Rose again but with a thoughtful look on her face. She startled him by meeting his gaze suddenly, "Pearl likes her, doesn't she?"

Greg's cheeks flared up and he felt anxiety crawling through his body. He nodded his head once with a frown. "Yeah. We met in college. Supposedly, I stole her from Pearl because they knew each other before then. Rose chose me though. I didn't pressure her. I pursued her because I liked her and fell in love and here we are." He leaned an elbow on the table and rested his chin on his hand. "She tries to play nice to me whenever we see each other, but I know how she really feels. I suppose I would be mad too if someone took the person I was pining after from me, but I would at least respect their decision. Like I said, I didn't force Rose to choose me."

Before Peridot could respond, Rose joined them with a small smile on her face. She nodded at the blonde, who returned the gesture, and then looked to Greg with sad eyes.

Peridot got the picture and looked at the time on her phone. "Hey, Mr. Universe? It's passed my shift. Am I good to go?"

Greg nodded, "Yeah. Have a good night, Peridot."

"See you tomorrow," Rose smiled, waving a goodbye as Peridot scrambled to gather her things and retreated out the front door. She returned her attention to Greg, who smiled at her.

"How are you doing, Honey?"

"I've had better days," She sat where Peridot had once been, hands folded neatly on her lap. "Pearl called."

"So I heard," Greg stared at his wife, waiting for her to elaborate. When she didn't, he frowned, "Rose?"

"She was so supportive. I told her because she'd been noticing my mood as of late, which I'm sure everyone has by now, and she was actually supportive. It took me by surprise." She stared her husband in the eyes, "I know you two don't get along."

"I wish we would. I have nothing against Pearl."

"I know," Rose smiled, and then reached out and took his hand into her own, "I'm sorry."

"For what?" Greg's eyebrows shot up in confusion.

"For being so down. I just—" She started to tear up, but she smiled again and laughed it off, "I thought it would be easy."

"Nothing in life is ever easy, Rose," Greg squeezed her hand and stood up, closing the distance between them. He grinned and leaned down, kissing her lightly on the cheek. "We'll keep trying, and you'll get your wish soon, I promise."

. . .

* * *

. . .

 **Author's Notes:** Behold the story of Greg and Rose that I have wanted to write about since I started this story! There is going to be more later on down the road regarding these two, but for now have a snippet of their story. It's going to get sad, just so you know. Anyway, as of right now I have two other tales in the works, and both revolve around Peridot and Lapis. Well, one is Ocean Part 2 and the other includes the main duo but with an added bonus.

I'll try to get to those soon, but lately I've been swept up with a comic that I've been creating! The idea hit me suddenly a few days ago, and I already have five pages finished and posted! If you're interested, check out my DeviantArt page! There's a URL on my profile. :)

Also, as usual, if you want to see artwork for this story then visit my DeviantArt page as well! I recently posted up some line art of a piece I'm working on of Garnet and Pearl.

The beginning of this tale takes place one month before "Tattoo," and when the time skip of a few months happens it is placed around the same time as "Missing Information." I posted on my profile a list of the order that these tales fall in, so if you want to read them chronologically that list will help you.

Thanks for reading and see you next time!


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